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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



THE 



BOY'S BOOK 



OF 



MORALS AM) MAMEES. 



BY WILLIAM SIMONDS, 

AUTHOR OF " BOY'S OWN GUIDE," "THE AIMWELL STORIES," ETC. 



Written for the Massachusetts Sabbath School Society, and 
approved by the Committee of Publication. 



BOSTON: 

MASSACHUSETTS SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY. 

Depository, No. 13 Cornhill, 



/%5~#, 









Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by the 

MASSACHUSETTS SABBATH SCHOOL SOCIETY, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. 



UBO. O. RAND, PRINTBR, CORlfHI LL . 



PREPA CE 



The substance of this little book originally appeared 
in the " Well-Spring" in the form of a series of 
articles entitled " Uncle William's Letters to the 
Boys." It having been thought that these articles 
might prove useful, if collected into a volume, the 
author has revised them, and re-cast them into their 
present shape. It will be observed that the topics 
all have a practical bearing, and cover pretty much 
the whole ground usually included in the depart- 
ments of Morals and Manners. 

Winchester, Mass. 

1* 



CONTENTS. 



Page 

I. A Few Words to Begin With, . . 7 

II. Habits, 10 

III. Getting Used to it, 14 

IV. As the Boy, so the Man, ... 18 
V. Attention, 23 

VI. Reputation, 27 

VII. Wishing, 31 

Vm. Wanted, 35 

IX. Aims, 39 

X. Perseverance, 43 

XL Do Your Best, 48 

XII. Little Faults — What They Are, . 53 

XIII. Little Faults — What They Do, . . 57 

XIV. Love Your Parents, .... 61 

XV. Obedience, 65 

XVI. Consequences of Disobedience, . . 69 

XVH. The Mind, ......... 73 

XVEH. How to Learn, 77 

XIX. Self-Cheating, 83 

XX. Purity, .87 

XXI. Laziness, . . . . . . . 91 

XXn. Usefulness, 96 

XXTTL Deportment, 100 

XXIV. Tobacco,— A Letter addressed to a Boy who 

Smoked, 104 



PREFACE. 



Page 

Swearing, 109 

Gunning, 113 

Kindness to Animals, .... 118 

A Cruel Spirit, 123 

Integrity, 127 

Honesty the best Policy, , . . 132 

Truthfulness, 136 

Neatness, 141 

System, 145 

Trusts, 150 

Quarrels, 154 

Getting Mad, 158 

Revenge, 163 

Self-Reliance, 167 

Dangerous Sports, .... 171 

Rough Play, 174 

Mischievousness, 179 

Home, . . . . . . . .183 

Associates, 187 

Temperance, 191 

concientiousness, 196 

Punctuality, 200 

Selfishness, 204 

Kindness, . 208 

Courage, ....... 212 

Think Again, . . . . . .217 

One Step at a Time, .... 222 

One Thing More, 226 



XXV. 
XXVI. 
XXVH. 

xxvni. 

XXIX. 
XXX. 
XXXI. 

xxxn. 

XXXIH. 

XXXIV. 

XXXV. 

XXXVI. 

XXXVH. 

XXXVIII. 

XXXIX. 

XL. 

XLI. 

XLH. 

XLHI. 

XLIV. 

XLV. 

XL VI. 

xlvh. 
XLvm. 

XLIX. 

L. 

LI. 

LII. 



THE 



logs look of Jlorals aifo llanro. 



i. 

A FEW WORDS TO BEGIN WITH. 

My Young Friends : — I am about to offer you a 
few plain counsels, suited to your age and condition. 
I mean they shall be kind words, and I do not want 
you to think of me as an old and stern man, who 
has forgotten that he was ever a child himself, and 
has lost all sympathy for boyhood. No ; I feel a 
great interest in boys, and love to mingle with them, 
and to write for them. To add to their knowledge, 
to promote their happiness, to strengthen their good 
impulses, and in any way to advance their interests, 
I shall always account a pleasure. 






8 



It seems but a very few years since I was myself a 
boy, and gaily trundled my hoop about the streets, 
and pored over my hard lessons with far too little 
patience, and went up to the house of Grod, each Sab* 
bath, and listened, sometimes seriously, but too often 
carelessly, to the preacher. I was a Sabbath school 
boy, too, and remember the old, square, green-painted 
pew in which our little class assembled, and the pretty 
library books that were lent to us, and the monthly 
"Sabbath School Visiter, " that filled the place now 
occupied by the " Well-Spring." How many excel- 
lent resolutions I thought of making, in those days, 
but never quite adopted ! What a vast amount of 
good I laid out, to be performed when I should become 
a man ! What a sincere, active, useful Christian 
I meant to be, some time or other ! Ah, there was 
the great mistake. All my plans for becoming 
good, and doing good, had reference to the future, 
and not to the present. I forgot that the best time 
to put a good resolution into effect, is now, and so I 
waited and waited for I know not what. 

So much for myself, by way of introduction. And 
now, my young readers, give me your confidence and 
attention, while you read these pages. Read care- 
fully, ponder seriously, and try to profit by what I 
have written. If you find any good quality described 
here, to which you cannot lay claim, determine 
to make it yours at once. If you find any evil 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 9 

habit portrayed, to which you are addicted, resolve 
to put it away. This is the way to read. If the 
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of lads whose bright 
eyes shall light on these pages, would all read in this 
manner, who can tell what happy influences would 
flow from this one little volume ! So may it be ! 
2 



10 THE BOX'S BOOK OF 



II. 

HABITS. 

You are all familiar, my young friends, with the 
saying of the prophet Jeremiah, " Can the Ethiopian 
change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then may 
ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil." 
But did you ever stop to inquire the meaning of this 
verse? It has a meaning, and that meaning 
embodies a very important truth, viz., that it is 
almost impossible to change our habits or customs, 
after they have become firmly established. It 
matters not whether these habits are good or bad ; in 
either case, if they once get thoroughly rooted, the 
chances are that they will cling to us through life, 
like the dark hue of the Ethiopian, or the spotted 
skin of the leopard. There is, therefore, little 
encouragement to try to persuade old people to break 
up their bad habits. They will often admit the 
truth of what you say, when you remonstrate with 
them, and will express a wish that they could break 
the chain that binds them. " But," they will insist, 
" it is too late for us to reform; the habit has 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 11 

become part of our nature, and it would be like 
cutting off a right band to give it up. No, we can't 
give it up ; but go and talk to the young, and warn 
them not to follow our example." 

And to the young I will appeal. You, my 
readers, are now putting on habits which you are to 
wear, like a garment, through life. It is an easy 
matter, now, to choose or reject, but do not suppose 
that it will always be so. By-and-by these habits, 
which bind themselves upon you so gently and 
silently, will become a part of your character, and 
cannot be shaken off without a severe struggle. 
Are you realizing this ? If you are, let me ask, 
what is the nature of these habits ? Is there among 
them a habit of disobedience, or rudeness, or passion, 
or negligence, or complaining, or falsehood, or 
swearing, or dishonesty, or laziness, or any thing else 
of an evil nature? And are these the habits you 
would carry with you through life ? Would you 
have these leopard-spots stamped upon your character 
so deeply that you cannot efface them ? Ah, beware 
how you trifle with these vicious habits, if you would 
not have them obtain the mastery over you. A 
single indulgence may seem a small matter, but it is 
precisely by these single indulgences that any bad 
habit is formed. 

So it is with good habits. "When we have 
practised good actions awhile," Archbishop Tillotson 



12 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

says, " they become easy ; and when they are easy, 
we begin to take pleasure in them ; and when they 
please us, we do them frequently ; and by frequency 
of acts they grow into a habit." All this is very 
plain, but the young do not always understand it. 
It is not so hard to form good habits as they some- 
times suppose. The main thing is to begin right, 
and to begin in season. Here, then, are two facts of 
great importance to the young. The first is, that 
you can form such habits as you choose. If you 
think tobacco-chewing a manly accomplishment, you 
can easily acquire it, although the first effort may not 
be very pleasant. If you would like to acquire a 
habit of tippling, or swearing, or quarreling, you 
have only to persevere a little while, and you will 
succeed. And on the other hand, if you would 
acquire a habit of observation, or a habit of reading, 
or a habit of speaking the truth, or any other 
desirable habit, it may be easily done, on the same 
principle. The effort may be a little irksome at first, 
but this will speedily wear off, and you will begin to 
take real pleasure in the struggle. 

The other important fact is, that habits adopted 
in youth are likely to cling to us through life. It 
is related of Hercules, the ancient heathen demi-god, 
that he arrayed himself in a tunic, or vesture, which 
had been poisoned. As soon as he discovered the 
fact, he attempted to tear off the fatal dress ; but it 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 13 

had incorporated itself with his skin, so that he could 
not remove it, and the venom quickly penetrated his 
body, until, in his desperation, he burnt himself to 
death to end his tortures. This story is doubtless 
fabulous ; but I have sometimes suspected that there 
might be some real truth concealed here under a 
fictitious guise. Possibly, this poisoned vesture is 
to be understood figuratively, as descriptive of the 
dreadful effects of some evil habits into which 
Hercules had fallen, and which at length goaded him 
to self-destruction. Whether this interpretation is 
correct or not, it matters little to us ; but of this I 
can assure you, that every bad habit you form will 
become like a poisonous garment, affecting more or 
less seriously the health and purity of body, mind 
and heart. 

2* 



14 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



III. 

GETTING USED TO IT. 

When gazing at a picture of a battle, with its 
horrible scenes of carnage and wo, did you never 
wonder how men could be induced to engage in such 
a dreadful business ? And if you expressed your 
astonishment in words, did not some one reply, " 0, 
they get used to it, and then they don't mind it at all !" 
Well, that does explain the mystery, in a very few 
words. A man can get used to almost anything. 
Habit becomes second nature ; and what was very 
disagreeable to him at first, after a while grows 
pleasant, as he accustoms himself to it. This influ- 
ence by which men are so easily affected, is called 
the power of habit. By it the way of ruin is made 
fearfully smooth and easy. By it, also, we are greatly 
aided in our progress towards ths true and the good. 

Some years ago, a party of Englishmen, under 
Sir John Boss, went to the Arctic regions, on an 
exploring expedition. Unfortunately, their vessel 
got fastened in the vast fields of ice which abound in 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



that desolate region, and they were obliged to 
remain there some five years, when another vessel 
came from England to their relief. The party 
endured many severe hardships, during their long 
and dreary imprisonment ; but they had become so 
accustomed to these things, that when aid came, they 
found it somewhat difficult to break up their new 
habits of living, unnatural as they were. Few of 
them, for example, could sleep upon the comfortable 
beds which were provided, so used had they become 
to reposing on the cold, hard snow and rocks. 

The comfort which these men found in sleeping 
out doors in that cold region, upon a bed of ice, is 
very much like the pleasure that people sometimes 
derive from vicious habits. Tobacco, for instance, is 
very nauseous at first, though after a while it 
becomes pleasant to the taste. But if there is any 
enjoyment in chewing or smoking tobacco, there is a 
still greater enjoyment in letting it alone. The lat- 
ter excels the former, as much as the pleasure of 
reposing on soft beds is superior to that of sleeping 
on the hard couch of the Arctic voyagers. 

The ancient Komans used to have a horrible 
species of amusement, known as gladiatorial combats. 
At these entertainments, men fought with each other, 
and with savage beasts, and the slaughter was often 
terrible. When these bloody shows were first intro- 
duced, the people regarded them with horror; but 



16 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

as they grew familiar with the sickening scenes, they 
began to like them, and at length found their chief 
delight in witnessing the carnage of the arena. By 
merely getting used to sights of cruelty, the dispo- 
sition of the people was entirely changed, and Rome, 
in its declining days, was deluged with blood. The 
effect would be the same, among us, if it were 
possible to revive this barbarous species of amuse- 
ment. But if we have no gladiatorial shows, I fear 
something of the abominable spirit of these old 
heathen festivals still lingers amongst us. It is 
displayed when a gang of thoughtless boys coax a 
couple of their mates into an angry contest, for the 
sake of seeing them fight ; or when they attempt to 
get up a battle between two animals, for a similar 
reason ; or when they amuse themselves by wound- 
ing or killing harmless animals. Familiarity with 
such scenes, must harden the heart, and foster a 
cruel disposition. 

The Bible tells us that the wicked "shall be 
holden with the cords of his sin," and you see how 
this is realized, by the influence which habit exer- 
cises over us. The only safe rule, then, is to avoid 
the beginnings of evil. Even a little indulgence in 
a bad habit, now and then, is dangerous, to a 
person's morals, and may end in his ruin. 

But there is a bright as well as a dark side to this 
subject. You may accustom yourself to any good 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 17 

habit, as easily as to a bad one. However unnat- 
ural or disagreeable it may seem at first, it will grow 
easy and pleasant, as you get used to it ; and when 
the habit is once thoroughly established, it will give 
you no further trouble - — it will take care of itself. 
Try it, my young readers, and see how this wonder- 
ful power of habit will aid you, in your efforts at 
self-improvement. 



18 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



IV. 

AS THE BOY, SO THE MAN. 

Most of you, I have* no doubt, often look ahead a 
few years, and try to imagine what you shall be, and 
do, when you have arrived at manhood. You 
naturally feel curious to know how you shall appear 
then, and whether you shall be distinguished for 
your riches, your learning, your ingenuity, your 
strength, your beauty, your eloquence, your position, 
your enterprise, or your goodness ; for, of course, 
you expect to be distinguished for something — all 
boys do. But how should you like to have your 
fortune told, so that you could know in advance just 
what prizes and blanks you are to draw in the great 
lottery of life ? 

c ' ! " I hear some bright-eyed lad exclaim, " that 
would be fine — but do you believe in fortune-telling, 
sir?" 

Yes, I believe in a certain kind of fortune-tell- 
ing. It is not that kind, however, by which silly 
men and women are sometimes duped out of their 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 19 

money by ignorant and wicked imposters, who pre- 
tend to have an absolute knowledge of future events. 
The fortune-telling that I believe in, is based on this 
great principle of the physical and moral world — 
" Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
reap ; " as the seed, so the plant — as the boy, so 
the man. According to this principle, if I know 
precisely what your present habits, disposition and 
character are, I can guess pretty nearly what sort of 
a man you will make, should you grow up to matu- 
rity ; and if I also know by what influences you are 
surrounded, and can calculate their effects upon you, 
I shall be able to foretell your fortune with even 
more certainty. In most cases, the man is but an 
enlarged and mature reflection of the boy. The 
exceptions to this law are very few. Now and then 
a man may, by a great effort, suddenly change the 
whole direction of his life ; but ordinarily the habits 
and manners that he adopts in boyhood, will stick to 
him through life, like the features of his countenance. 
There was a clergyman in Massachusetts, many 
years ago, who, as was then a common custom, 
instructed a large number of boys, in branches that 
were not taught in the common schools. He kept a 
journal, in which he recorded a general outline of 
the character of each of his pupils ; and in later life, 
when such of these boys as survived had become 
mature men, he said he was forcibly struck, on refer- 



20 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

ing to his journal, with the fact, that in nearly 
every case, as was the boy so now was the man. 

Another teacher related the following facts, a few 
years since, in a public meeting. In his preparatory 
course, he said, there were two boys attending the 
same academy, with apparently the same opportuni- 
ties to rise to eminence and distinction. One of 
these paid very little attention to anything but his 
books and teachers — was always in his place, and 
ready to recite when called upon for his lesson. 
The other was not fond of his books, nor school ; but 
if there was a party, or ball, within inviting distance, 
he was always sure to get an invitation, and just as 
sure never to decline. Time passed on, and the 
boys left the academy. The industrious young man 
went to college, graduated with high honor, studied 
law, was sent to Congress, and was finally appointed 
Judge of the Supreme Court of the United States. 
And while he was thus enjoying the honors justly 
bestowed upon him as the fruit of a well-spent boy- 
hood, his former party-going and pleasure-hunting 
companion had also found his place. And, boys, 
where do think it was ? You shall hear. He was 
employed as a street scavenger in a country village 
not far from the metropolis of New England. Thus 
you see that whatsoever a boy soweth, that shall he 
also reap. 

An English nobleman, Lord Shaftsbury, recently 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 21 

submitted the following question to one hundred 
city missionaries : 

" How many, do you estimate, having lived an 
honest life up to twenty years of age, have afterwards 
fallen away and entered on vicious courses ? " 

The answer from almost every missionary was, 

"Not two in one hundred" 

What a striking illustration is this of the truth of 
our saying, " As the boy so the man." 

The venerable Prof. Silliman, of Yale College, is 
said to have expressed it as his opinion, after a long 
life of observation in his intercourse with students, 
that the general principles, habit and character, 
acquired by a young man before he is seventeen 
years old, will not often be radically changed in after 
life. 

An anecdote is told of Washington's mother, 
which illustrates the same principle. When Lafay- 
ette, at the close of the revolutionary war, spoke to 
the venerable lady of the glory her son had achieved, 
Mrs. Washington made this memorable reply : 

" I am not surprised, for George was always a 
good boy" 

Among the young men who entered Harvard 
College in the class of 1770, there was a lad who, 
but three or four months previous, had completed his 
twelfth year. I do not think it was a very safe place 
for a youth of his tender years — away from the 
3 



22 THE boy's book of 

counsels and restraints of home, under a discipline 
designed for those who are old enough to govern 
themselves, and thrown into the society of young 
men older than himself, among whom there must 
have been not a few wild and reckless spirits. But, 
despite all these dangers, the little student passed 
through college unscathed, and became so good and 
eminent a man, that thirty years after he graduated, 
he was elected president of that very college. That 
incorruptible little boy, and that eminent man, was 
Fisher Ames ; and thus his biographer explains the 
secret of his greatness : 

61 His spotless youth brought blessings to the whole 
remainder of his life. Beginning well, he advanced 
with unremitted steps in the race of virtue, and 
arrived at the end of life with peace and honor." 

What a sermon to boys do those few lines contain ! 
My young reader, have you begun well ? If you 
have not, even now it may not be too late to correct 
your error. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 23 



V. 

ATTENTION. 

In books, and newspapers, and letters, you will 
often see the letters "N. B." prefixed to a sentence. 
They stand for the Latin words Nota Bene, and 
mean, observe well^ or take notice. I have been 
thinking that perhaps " N. B." would not be a bad 
maxim for some of you to adopt. It is so short that 
you could hardly forget it, even if you wished to do 
so ; and the lesson, or admonition, which it conveys, 
is a very valuable one. .Observe well — take 
notice — pay attention — is not that very good 
advice for a heedless young fellow, who is always in 
such a hurry that he never can stop to notice any- 
thing? There is Eddy, for instance, who, when 
sent on an errand, is sure to do it wrong, because 
he didn't notice the directions given him. When 
his father is telling him where to go, and what to 
say , he is thinking of something else ; and when he 
undertakes to deliver the message, he finds that he 
has forgotten one half of it, and isn't quite sure of 
the other half. 



24 the boy's book of 

Then there is Thomas, who is hardly ever able to 
answer correctly the questions in his Sabbath school 
lesson. He studies the lesson, in his way ; that is, 
he looks it over hurriedly, and hunts up the Bible 
references ; but he pays so little attention to what 
he is about, that he would scarcely be able to tell 
the subject of the lesson, if the title were not 
printed in the question book. He is a dull scholar 
at the week-day school, too, and will never rank very 
high in his class, unless he learns to give his mind 
to his lessons. 

And there is John, who has lately gone to work at 
a trade. He means well enough, but his master 
complains that he is thoughtless, and doesn't notice 
what he is doing, and thus spoils a great deal 
of work. Now if "N. B." could be stamped in 
great letters upon John's work-bench, and Thomas's 
school books, and Eddy's memory, until it cured 
them of their bad habits, do you not think it would 
be a blessing to them? 

Take notice — observe well — give your mind to 
your lessons — that is the way to learn. Do this, 
and you will be all the time picking up and storing 
away ideas in your mind. The habit you will thus 
form will be of great value to you through life. It 
has led many to wealth, learning and distinction. 
Better than this, it has led many others into the 
kingdom of heaven. Religion suffers more from 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 25 

inattention and thoughtlessness, perhaps, than from 
anything else. The first step to conversion is to 
take notice, to observe, to give attention to the claims 
of the Saviour. Will you not think of this, and 
resolve to acquire this habit of observation and atten- 
tion? 

Did you ever read of the remarkable sagacity 
which the Arabs manifest, in drawing conclusions 
from the foot-prints of animals and men in the des- 
ert ? An expert Bedouin can tell, from the tracks 
in the sand, whether the camel that has passed was 
loaded or unloaded, whether recently fed or suffering 
from hunger, whether fatigued or fresh, the time 
when it passed by, whether the owner was a man of 
the desert or of the town, whether a friend or foe, 
and sometimes even the name of the tribe. 

Here you see what this habit of taking notice can 
do for the poor son of the desert. And should you 
like to know how the Arab acquires this valuable 
habit ? He does it before he is as old as many of 
you are, as you may see from the following extract, 
which I copy from Mr. Layard's " Nineveh and 
Babylon." He says : — 

" This quickness of perception is the result of 
continual observation and of caution, encouraged 
from earliest youth. When the warriors of a tribe 
are engaged in distant forays, or in war, their tents 
and flocks are frequently left to the care of a mere 
3* 



26 the boy's book of 

child. He must receive strangers, amongst whom 
may he those having claims of blood upon his family, 
and must guard against marauders who may be lurk- 
ing about the encampment. Every unknown sign 
and mark must be examined and accounted for. If 
he should see the track of a horseman, he must ask 
himself why one so near the dwelling did not stop 
to eat bread and drink water ? was he a spy — one 
of a party meditating attack ? or a traveler, who did 
not know the site of the tents ? When did he pass ? 
From whence did he come ? Whilst the child in a 
civilized country is still under the care of the nurse, 
the Bedouin boy is compelled to exercise his highest 
faculties, and on his prudence and sagacity may 
sometimes depend the safety of his tribe." 

This habit, which the boys of the desert find so 
necessary, is also of great importance to the boys of 
civilized life. And now, Eddy, and Thomas, and 
John, and all the rest of you who have fallen into 
habits of inattention, I hope you will at least 
" observe well " this admonition. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 27 



VI. 

REPUTATION. 

You have often heard men speak of their reputa- 
tion, as something which they value more than gold 
or personal comfort. Next to the approval of God 
and their own consciences, they esteem the good 
opinions of their fellow-men. A stain upon their 
good name, would be almost the worst earthly calam- 
ity that could befal them. This is the feeling of all 
honorable, upright and high-minded men. And it is 
a proper feeling ; for the wise man has said, 

" A good name is rather to be chosen than great 
riches." 

Even bad men often set a high value upon a good 
name, and will make most extraordinary efforts to 
retain it, after their characters have become utterly 
corrupt. Hypocrisy is only a tribute which bad men 
pay to virtue. No man, who has not reached the 
lowest depth of degradation, is willing to have his 
name become a reproach and a by-word among men. 

You all know very well what this jewel is, that is 
thus prized by the good, and reluctantly yielded up 



28 the boy's book of 

by the bad. But have you ever considered that it is 
a treasure which may be worn by the young as well 
as the old ? Have you begun to bind it around your 
heart, and to cherish it as something you have deter- 
mined never to part with ? If you have not, then 
you have made a great mistake, in setting out upon 
your journey of life. 

A man's reputation is the product of an innumera- 
ble multitude of acts. He begins to form it in very 
early life. You, my young friends, have already 
commenced the process, and each one of you has 
even now a reputation, either good or bad. You are 
adding to and confirming it, every day. Your asso- 
ciates know what it is, and so do your parents, 
teachers and neighbors. Is it, let me ask, such a 
reputation as you would like to carry with you 
through life? Is it a good name — spotless and 
without reproach ? 

No youth of good sense and character will be 
indifferent to the opinions of others. Sometimes we 
hear bad, bold boys say that they do not care what 
people think of them ; but I suspect this is seldom 
true. They do care for the opinion of others, more 
than they are willing to confess. They cannot help 
it, if they would. God has implanted within us 
this natural desire to appear well in the eyes of 
others, and none but the most abandoned are free 
from its influence. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 29 

A good reputation may not only be acquired in 
boyhood, but many important advantages may flow 
from it, even in that early period of life. You have 
all witnessed illustrations of this, in the little circle 
of your own acquaintance. The boy who has a good 
name, is believed when others are doubted, and 
trusted where others are not allowed to go. Even if 
he occasionally does wrong, his good character 
shields him from the consequences, and he is for- 
given. When he leaves school, and seeks employ- 
ment, his good name is a passport to a good situa- 
tion ; and thus, at every step through life, does he 
realize more and more that virtue is its own reward. 

Two or three boys were once arrested in Boston, 
charged with throwing stones in the streets. They 
were very much alarmed at the idea of being taken 
before a court ; but when their trial came on, their 
schoolmaster appeared, and gave them such a good 
character, that the judge was satisfied their offence 
was unintentional, and let them off with the smallest 
fine the law would allow. Thus did they experience 
one of the benefits of having a good name. 

How different is the case with those who are cursed 
with a bad name. They not only fare hard, when 
actually guilty of wrong doing, but are often sus- 
pected and blamed when innocent. Every mischiev- 
ous act that cannot be traced to its source, is laid at 
their door, and thus they become the scapegoats of 



30 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

the circle in which they move. As they grow up to 
manhood, they find themselves the victims of evil 
and mischievous reports, which ever hover around 
and keep before them, stealing into the ears of those 
whose good-will they wish to win, and disappointing 
all their hopes and plans. They may now reform 
their ways, but 0, how hard it is to shake off a bad 
name ! 

My young reader, commence now, if you have not 
already, and earn for yourself that which is rather to 
be chosen than great riches — a good name. 



" Children, choose it, don't refuse it, 
'Tis a precious diadem; 
Highly prize it, don't despise it, 
You will need it when you 're men. 

" Love and cherish, keep and nourish, 
'T is more precious far than gold; 
Watch and guard it, don't discard it, 
You will need it when you 're old," 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 31 



VII. 

WISHING. 

Not long ago, as I was walking in the street, I 
happened to overhear the following conversation 
between two small lads, who were returning home 
from school, with their books under their arms, 

"I wish," said one, " that I knew as much as 
Daniel Webster." 

"And I wish," said the other, "that I knew 
more than anybody else in the world." 

I was reminded of the old proverb, " If wishes 
were horses, beggars might ride." How easy it is 
to wish ! And what harm is there in it ? None, 
that I know of, provided you wish for right things, 
and are willing to do something more than wish, to 
obtain them. But if you sit still, and wish, and 
expect that the object of your desire will come to 
you, without an effort, I do not think your wishes 
will ever be of much use to you. 

"I wish I could learn my lessons as well as 
Charley," says George. Well, how do know that 
you cannot ? Did you ever try — or do you expect 



32 THE boy's book of 

to learn them without trying ? Do you not suppose 
that it costs Charley some effort to keep at the head 
of his class ? No doubt it does, and you will not 
stand by his side until you study hard, as well as 
wish hard. 

" I wish I could break myself of it," said another 
boy, when reproved for a bad habit he had acquired. 
He could have broken up the habit, if he had really 
tried; but he did not make the attempt, and the 
habit went on, growing worse and worse. He con- 
tented himself with wishing — but no boy ever yet 
succeeded in wishing away a bad habit. 

" I wish I knew how to skate,' ' said another little 
boy. After a while he procured a pair of skates, 
and went down to the pond ; but his legs refused to 
support him upon the thin, smooth irons, and he fell 
upon the ice again and again. So he became dis- 
couraged, and gave up the attempt ; whereas, if he 
had persevered a little while, he would have soon 
felt at ease upon his skates. 

There was another little fellow who, on trying to 
skate for the first time, paid the usual penalty. Hav- 
ing hurt himself somewhat by the fall, his brother 
advised him to " give it up." 

" No, I sharCt give it up," was his manly reply ; 
" I can learn to skate, and I will learn." 

And he went at it again, with an energy and 
determination that soon overcame all difficulties. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 33 

Ah, that is the way to wish. A hoy who will not 
content himself with wishing, but who is determined 
to do what he knows he can do, will be very likely 
to turn his wishes into realities. 

"I wish I could become a Christian!" How 
many youth have uttered this language, in their seri- 
ous moments ! Some of my readers, probably, have 
indulged in this wish. But was it a sincere wish ? 
Did it end in wishing, or did you make an earnest 
effort to realize it ? It was a commendable, yes, a 
blessed wish, but did you really try to obtain the 
wishecl-for good? Were you summoned into the 
presence of your Maker to-day, could you say to him, 

"Lord, if I am not prepared to meet thee, it is 
not my fault, for I earnestly wished to become a 
Christian ? " 

Ah, I fear your wishes were poor things, if they 
have not resulted in any good. There are many 
promises in the Bible for those who try to become 
Christians, but I can think of none for those who 
merely wish. 

" Those that seek me early, shall find me." 

" If thou seek him, he will be found of thee." 

"But ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye 
shall search for me with all your heart." 

These are the promises of God, and he will make 
them good, if you fulfil the only condition, and seek 
him. Will you give up the attempt ? or will you 
4 



34 the boy's book of 

act in the spirit of the boy who was learning to 
skate, and say, 

" No, I will not give it up; I can seek the Lord, 
and I will seek him." 

If the prodigal son had said, "I wish I could 
return to my father's house," and yet made no effort 
to go, he would have perished among his swine. So 
a mere wish to enter the kingdom of heaven, with- 
out any corresponding action, will be utterly worth- 
less. 

Here, then, is the law of wishing, in a few words : 

1. Wish for things that it is lawful to desire. 
There are more foolish and sinful wishes cherished, 
than good ones. 

2. Wish from right motives. The boy who wished 
that he knew more than anybody else in the world, 
was, I fear, actuated by a selfish motive. 

3. Remember that if a thing is worth wishing for, 
it is worth striving for, and that patient effort must 
be put forth, if we would realize the object of our 
desires. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 35 



VIII. 



WANTED. 



" Here, John, you are wanted," said a shop- 
keeper to his errand hoy, who was in a distant part 
of the room. Who John was, or who wanted him, 
or for what he was wanted, is of little consequence ; 
but the words, "John, you are wanted" ring in my 
ears, and set me to thinking. And thus it was that 
my thoughts ran on : 

John is a boy of some consequence. He is 
wanted. He is good for something. He has capa- 
bilities, of some sort or other. They may be of an 
humble order, but if he rightly improves them, they 
are valuable to his employer and to the world. He 
has duties and responsibilities, too, for these always 
accompany capability. He is not a mere piece of 
useless rubbish, in this busy world, but is a part of 
the great living machinery by which God is carrying 
forward his designs. No, John is not a cypher — he 
is something, or his master would not want him. 

Then, again, John is a lucky boy. Not to be 



36 THE boy's book of 

wanted, is a misfortune indeed. Ask the poor lad, 
— a stranger in the great city, — who has gone 
wearily from shop to shop with the timid inquiry, 
" Do you want a boy, sir? " and every time received 
the same disheartening answer, " No." No wonder 
he feels sad and discouraged, for nobody wants him. 
Or ask the poor man who seeks in vain for work by 
which to earn bread for his children. Nobody wants 
him, and despair settles down over his soul. It is 
indeed a blessed privilege to be wanted. 

But John is not the only boy to whom the mes- 
sage comes, " You are wanted." The same call is 
addressed to all of you, my young friends. Each 
one of you is wanted. God has provided work for 
every pair of hands he has made. He has given 
you a particular work to do, which no one else can 
perform for you. If not done by yourself, it will 
not be done at all, and the world will be the poorer 
for your unfaithfulness. 

Some of you, — yes, many, — are wanted to preach 
the Gospel. The men who are now engaged in this 
service, will in a few years be called from their labors 
to their reward, and their places must be filled by 
those who are now boys. And these boys are to 
come chiefly from the Sabbath School. It was said, 
some years ago, that nineteen-twentieths of the mis- 
sionaries who had gone from Great Britain to the 
heathen, received their first religious impressions in 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 37 

the Sabbath school ; and of the evangelical ministers 
of England, under forty years of age, more than 
two-thirds became pious at these schools. Of the 
youth who weekly assemble in our Sabbath schools, 
thousands are wanted for this service. 

Some of you are wanted to be the teachers of 
future generations of children. Some, to explore 
the mysteries of science. Some, to be physicians, 
and lawyers, and magistrates, and authors, and edi- 
tors. Some of you are wanted to till the ground, and 
to supply the teeming millions that are to come, with 
bread. Some, to make shoes, and some, to build 
steamships and railroads. Some, to carry on our fac- 
tories, and some, to manage our commerce. 

All of you are wanted, to bless the world with the 
sweet and holy influence of a good example — to 
preach the Gospel through the medium of a pure 
and consistent life. You are wanted, to give precept 
and exhortation, as well as example, and to labor as 
private Christians, for the good of the world. You 
are wanted to help carry forward the various reforms 
and benevolent enterprises that are now in their 
infancy. In a word, you are all wanted to do your 
part in hastening the coming of that day when " the 
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as 
the waters cover the sea." 
4* 



38 the boy's book of 

" All around us clarion voices 
Call to duty, stern and high." 

Yes, you are wanted. Think of this often, until 
your mind becomes accustomed to the thought. 
When you have a hard lesson to learn, or a disa- 
greeable piece of work to do, or are denied an indul- 
gence you crave, remember that you are wanted, and 
that this discipline is necessary to prepare you for 
the service that is expected of you. A few years 
are given you, to fit yourself for duty. These pre- 
cious years are now yours — they are the years of 
your youth. Are you improving them aright ? Are 
you preparing yourself to do good service for God 
and for your fellow-men ? These are questions that 
you should seriously ponder. 

You are wanted — but God does not require you 
to work for nothing. If faithful in your allotted 
sphere of duty, large and sure will be your reward, 
not only in this life, but in that which is to come. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 39 



IX. 

AIMS. 

I have talked with you a little about the future, 
and tried to make you realize that you are now put- 
ting on characters which you are to wear through 
life. If you do realize this truth, you cannot help 
wishing to form a character that you will not be 
ashamed of hereafter ; and if this wish is earnest 
and sincere, you will try to do something towards 
securing its fulfilment. In other words, you will 
aim to make a good man. 

It is a great day for a boy or a man, when he first 
begins to have an aim, if it only be a good one. If 
he remains unwavering in his adherence to that aim, 
the effect will be manifest on his whole future life. 
It will incite him to noble efforts, and will help him 
to accomplish what would otherwise have seemed 
impossible. The grand secret of success in life, is 
to set out in youth with a definite object in view, 
and to pursue it steadily until it is attained. This 
is the way great men are made, and great deeds are 
accomplished. 



40 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

" Sound the clarion, thrill the fife, 
To all the sensual crowd proclaim, 
One single hour of glorious strife 
Is worth an age without an aim." 

" But," says some lad, " I am too young to have 
an aim. I mean to be something, but I can't 
tell exactly what, just yet. By-and-by I shall be 
more capable of laying out a work for life than I am 
now." 

This may be true, though I believe that in many 
cases wise and noble aims are adopted even in boy- 
hood. But if you are too young to determine what 
shall be the fixed purpose of your life, you are cer- 
tainly old enough to do all that is required of any 
boy, and that is, to aim to make a good beginning. 
You are old enough to reason thus with yourself : 

"I am only a small boy now, but I shall soon be 
a man. I can't do much yet, but I am laying a 
foundation to work upon hereafter. I don't know 
precisely what the structure will be, when it is fin- 
ished, but I mean that it shall be something that I 
shall not be ashamed of. I can't tell whether it will 
be distinguished for its strength, or its grace, or its 
height, or its usefulness ; but however that may be, 
I do know that a good foundation will not come 
amiss, and that now is the time to lay it. So I 
mean|to look weir to the foundation, and that shall 
be my aim for the present." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 41 

This is a good aim to begin life with, and if you 
adhere to it steadily in the days of your boyhood, 
you will soon be prepared to adopt more definite 
aims. Indeed, if you do not form some such pur- 
pose as this now, it is quite possible that you never 
will have a worthy object to live for. Thousands live 
and die without ever having had any settled plan of 
life, or any particular aim, beyond obtaining enough 
to eat, drink and wear. Such a life is befitting a 
brute, but it is unworthy a living soul, made in 
God's image. 

A home missionary in New Hampshire once asked 
a very ignorant little girl of twelve what was the 
chief end of man. She replied, 

" To work." 

This, as my youngest reader must know, is not 
the highest end for which man was created ; but that 
God designed that we all should work, I have no 
doubt. He has given us all plenty of work to do, 
and heads, hands, feet, and sinews to do it with. 
All our aims, therefore, should have regard to this 
design of our Creator. We must not expect or 
desire to live a life of ease and indolence. That 
aim which does not have for its object some good 
accomplished, and some useful labor performed, does 
not deserve to be called an aim. Life was not 
designed to be a mere pleasure excursion. When 
we set out on the voyage of existence, we not only 



42 THE boy's book of 

ought to know where we are going, but we should 
also have a good reason for going there. Our bark 
must not go forth nor return empty. God has char- 
tered it for some particular service, if I may use a 
mercantile expression. Let us try to find out what 
that purpose is, and then endeavor to carry it 
through with all diligence. 

If you will read the biographies of great and good 
men, you will find a fixed purpose running through 
their entire lives, like a silver thread, connecting one 
year with another, and binding all their separate 
actions together into a harmonious whole. So was it 
with Luther, and Washington, and Franklin ; with 
the Pilgrim fathers and mothers who laid the foun- 
dations of New England ; with Newton, and Watt, 
and Fulton ; with Mary Lyon, and Dr. Judson, and 
Harlan Page. All these worked to a plan ; and so, 
my young friends, must you and I work, even in 
our humble spheres, if we would not have our lives 
prove a failure. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 43 



X. 

PERSEVERANCE. 

Next to a good aim, perseverance is necessary to 
a useful and successful life. It is easy to sit down 
and mark out a course, and resolve to do thus and 
so ; but it is quite another thing to carry our plans 
into effect. A great many people take good aim, 
but never fire. They "form noble purposes, but they 
never do anything else ; and they might just as well 
have resolved, in the beginning, to shut themselves 
up, like the clam in its shell, and let the world take 
care of itself as best it can. The world will derive 
no benefit from their good plans and resolutions. 

But show me a boy who perseveres until he has 
accomplished his purpose — who sticks to his good 
resolutions, whatever the temptation may be to aban- 
don them — who persists in walking in the path he 
has marked out, in spite of every effort to turn him 
aside — show me such a boy, and I will show you 
one who will make a true man, should his life be . 
spared. 



44 the boy's book oe 

Some seventy or more years ago, there lived in 
Salem a poor boy who had determined to get an 
education. He was confined in a shop through the 
day, and had but few advantages and little time for 
carrying out his design. He was not discouraged, 
however, but persevered like a hero, and every 
month witnessed his progress toward the object of his 
ambition. That boy was afterwards known through- 
out the civilized world as Dr. Bowditch, one of the 
most learned and famous scientific men our country 
has ever produced. But all that Bowditch ever 
knew, he learned ; and all that he learned, he 
acquired by diligent and persevering application. 
You can form some idea of his indomitable persever- 
ance, from a little incident that is related of him. 
While he was a boy, a valuable private library, 
which had been captured at sea, arrived in Salem. 
These books were a rare prize for those days, and 
young Bowditch borrowed a number of them from 
the person who had charge of them. The volumes 
were retained longer than was necessary for a simple 
perusal, and it was afterwards ascertained that the 
young student was so anxious to possess them, that 
he actually copied twenty ponderous folio and quarto 
volumes of scientific works, and thus made them his 
own ! These volumes, which at that time he dared 
not think of purchasing, were of great service to him 
in after years ; and his children have carefully pre- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 45 

served them, as precious memorials of the persever- 
ance of their father. 

A young American writing from Germany con- 
cerning the greatest pianist in the world, says, " He 
has attained his eminence by the most diligent 
pains-taking. He has^ practised fourteen hours a 
day for two weeks on two measures of music, so 
determined was he to conquer." No wonder that 
such a man stands at the head of his profession. 

When Richard Brinsley Sheridan made his first 
speech in Parliament, it was regarded on all hands 
as a most mortifying failure. His friends urged 
him to abandon a Parliamentary career, and enter 
upon some field better suited to his ability. " No," 
said Sheridan — " no, it is in me, and it shall come 
out! " And it did, and he became one of the most 
splendid debaters in England. 

The value of perseverance is frequently illustrated 
in the history of business enterprises. Twelve or 
fifteen years ago, a poor but industrious man com- 
menced travelling back and forth between New 
York and Boston, as an express messenger. At first 
he met with but little encouragement. Sometimes 
he cleared but twenty-five cents by a trip. But he 
kept journeying to and fro with his little carpet-bag 
in hand, until at length his perseverance and fidelity 
began to attract the attention of business men, and 
he commenced reaping the fruits of his patient 
5 



46 THE boy's book of 

industry. That man is now at the head of the great 
express and banking house of Adams & Co. — 
probably the most wealthy and extensive concern of 
the kind in the world. How many men would have 
become discouraged, and retired from the field, after 
half a dozen unprofitable trips with that half-filled 
carpet-bag ! 

In our efforts to conquer our own faults, persever- 
ance is equally necessary. We must not be discour- 
aged if we cannot exterminate the deep-rooted 
thistles and brambles of our hearts at a single effort. 
If they keep springing up anew, we must continue 
to root them up, just as fast as they show themselves. 
If they are obstinate, let us be persevering. By- 
and-bye they will grow weak, the soil of the heart 
will work itself free of them, and then the victory 
will be ours. 

So, too, there is often need of great perseverance 
in doing good. The Moravian missionaries to 
Greenland and Labrador labored for many years 
apparently in vain. They could not even make the 
degraded people believe they had souls. But they 
persevered, and now their converts are numbered by 
thousands. If you will read the history of almost 
any mission, you will find that the whole secret of 
success has been " prayer, pains, and perseverance." 

If, then, my young friends, you desire to succeed 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 47 

in your studies or your labors, or in your efforts to 
correct your own faults, or to benefit others, remem- 
ber that the secret is contained in this word — per- 
severance. What others have done, you may do, 
if you will put forth the same effort. 



48 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 




XI. 



DO YOUR BEST. 



Here, boys, is a direction with which you are all 
familiar. You often hear it on the play-ground, 
while engaged in friendly contests with your mates. 
You hear it in the school-room, when the teacher 
wishes to incite you to an unusual effort. Your 
parents repeat it to you, in the house ; and the pleas- 
ant stranger who regards you with so much interest 
as you pass along the street, seems to echo the same 
admonition, — " Boys, do your best." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 49 

"Do your best." That was what a venerable 
man once said to his grandchild, from whom he was 
about parting. "Whatever you do," he said, " do 
the best you can." The little boy always remem- 
bered those words, and they proved more valuable 
to him than gold. When he had any work to do, he 
tried to "do his best," and was rewarded for his 
pains not only by an inward satisfaction, but often 
by the kind approval of his parents. When he was 
fifteen years, old, he was sent to an academy, where 
he had partly to earn his way through the course 
" The lessons came hard at first," he says, "for I 
was not fond of study ; but grandfather's advice 
was my motto, and I tried to do my best. As a 
consequence of this, though I was small of my age, 
and not very strong, my mother had three offers for 
me before the year was out, and one was from the 
best merchant in the village, ■ a place ' in whose 
store was considered very desirable. When I joined 
the church, I tried to do the Lord's work as well as 
I did my own ; and often when I have been tempted 
to leave the Sabbath school, or let a small hindrance 
keep me from a prayer meeting, or get discouraged 
in any good thing, my grandfather's last words, ' Do 
the best you can,' have given me fresh courage, and 
I would again try ; for if we do what we can, we can 
safely leave the rest with God." Thus, by adopting 

5* 



50 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

" Do your best " as his motto, this little boy became 
a highly respectable and useful man. 

Two boys were playing together. When the game 
was brought to an end, by the victory of one of 
them, the other exclaimed, 

"Well, I don't care, I can do better than that, 
I know, — I didn't try do my best." 

Ah, my little fellow, if you act on that principle 
through life, you will always come out "second 
best." 

Robert had set his heart upon obtaining a prize at 
school. He was not so forward in his studies as 
some other members of his class, but he was a well- 
behaved boy, and as there was to be a prize given 
for " good behavior," he hoped to win it. But at 
the end of the term, the teacher's record showed that 
he had whispered once or twice too much, and the 
coveted prize was given to another. Poor Robert 
had done very well, but he had not " done his best." 

Every year, a good many boys from the Grammar 
Schools of Boston are examined for admission to the 
High School; but a large proportion are always 
rejected, to their mortification and disappointment. 
The reason is, they have not " done their best," 
while at school, and they must wait another whole 
year, before they can retrieve their mistake, if, 
indeed, they do not get discouraged from the attempt. 
A year of lost time is a pretty severe penalty for 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 51 

their error ; but if it teaches them to " do their 
best " ever after, the lesson will be well worth the 
price it cost. 

A young lad entered into the service of a mer- 
chant as errand boy, with the determination of 
M doing his best." His employer never had occasion 
to find fault with him. Every duty was promptly 
and faithfully done. Soon the merchant promoted 
him to a clerkship ; and then he made him his con- 
fidential friend and favorite ; and at length he 
admitted him as a partner in his business. He had 
had many other boys, before this one, but none of 
them tried to "do their best." 

No pursuit or employment is so humble, as to 
excuse those engaged in it from " doing their best." 
" If a thing is worth doing at all, it is worth doing 
well." That is an old saying, but it is a very true 
one. I recollect reading of a dispute between two 
rival villages on Long Island, as to which possessed 
the most expert clam diggers. The dispute ran 
high, and at length it was settled by a public trial 
between the champions of each village, a purse of 
ten dollars being presented to the victor. I do not 
think there was anything ridiculous in this. There 
is a dignity in the humblest forms of labor, when a 
man engages in it with the determination of " doing 
his best." 

Make this your rule, then, my young friends, to 



52 the boy's book of 

" do your best " with every thing you undertake ; 
not your second-best, nor very well, nor pretty 
well, as many are satisfied with doing, but your very 
best. You will never regret adopting this as your 
standard. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 53 



XII. 

LITTLE FAULTS — WHAT THEY ARE. 

Many of you, I suppose, are somewhat acquainted 
with the microscope — the instrument by which very 
small objects are magnified, and presented to the eye 
in an enlarged form. It is very interesting and 
instructive, to look through the lenses of this curious 
instrument, and to see how perfect God has made the 
most minute objects that come from his hand. There 
are, for instance, many common insects, so small that 
you would never imagine there could be any beauty 
about them ; but put them under the microscope, and 
you will find that they possess an elegance of form 
and brilliancy of color, which the most gay and 
beautiful of our birds cannot rival. There is another 
class of insects, quite as insignificant to the natural 
eye as these, which, when magnified, are found to be 
fully as savage and ferocious in their disposition as 
the tiger, and as repulsive and terrible to the eye as 
the largest and ugliest spider. It is curious to see 
how these apparently weak and harmless little mites 



54 THE boy's book of 

are transformed by the microscope into terrible giants, 
armed with powerful pincers, and formidable claws, 
and deadly stings, and frightful jaws — their huge 
bodies bristling with ugly hairs, and their whole 
appearance suggestive of strength aud ferocity. I 
said transformed, but that is not the idea ; for the 
microscope does not alter their appearance, but only 
shows them as they are, and as they appear, I sup- 
pose, to other insects. 

When I see a boy knowingly indulging in what 
are commonly called " little faults," or hear him talk 
lightly of what he considers " little sins," I feel like 
asking him to step into my study, and to look into an 
instrument which I call my moral microscope. It 
is a wonderful contrivance, and the effect it produces 
is very surprising, to one who witnesses it for the 
first time. Like the common microscope, it has its 
lenses, or magnifying glasses, through which the 
object to be examined is seen. These lenses are as 
clear as crystal, and free from the slightest trace of 
flaw or imperfection. One of them is the character 
of God — a combination of holiness, justice, truth, 
wisdom, goodness, and mercy. The other lens is the 
law of God, which is perfect, holy, just, and immu- 
table. 

Now suppose we take one of these little sins, and 
examine it under this microscope. No matter what 
it is — so we will begin with " fibbing," as little 



MOKALS AND MANNERS. 55 

Johnny calls it, when he tells an untruth, and iDsists 
that it is not a falsehood. Well, Johnny, look at it 
now. 

" 0, it's a great ugly lie ! Why, who would have 
thought it ! " 

Sure enough, it belongs to the lie family, and has 
all the hateful marks of its tribe, though on a small 
scale. 

There is George, who is harboring enmity against 
a playmate for some real or supposed injury ; let us 
put his feelings under our moral microscope, and see 
how they look. Step up, George, and see the viper 
you are hiding in your heart. Why, he retreats 
with a shudder, — and well he may, for his "little 
sin" has swelled into the horrible image of murder. 
Now, George, you know what the Bible means, when 
it says, " Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer." 

And so we might go through the entire list of 
"little sins," and trivial faults, and show that they 
all have hateful and repulsive features, indicative of 
their common origin — a wicked heart. They are all 
a scorpion brood, the least as well as the greatest, 
The hideous mark of sin is upon them all, and there 
is no security so long as we allow the smallest of them 
to remain in our hearts. Our moral microscope does 
not make them one whit worse than they are. It 
only shows them in their true character, just as God 
sees them. Perhaps you have sometimes wondered 



56 the boy's book of 

that good men lamented so much over their sins, 
while many really wicked men seemed to think them- 
selves quite righteous. Here you have the explana- 
tion. The Christian looks at his sins through this 
moral microscope, and sees their true nature ; but 
the self-righteous man regards his with the eye of the 
natural heart, and thinks them too insignificant for 
his notice. 

My readers must not understand me as represent- 
ing one sin to be as dangerous and as wicked as 
another. There are degrees in guilt, extending from 
the slight stumblings of the almost sanctified child 
of God, to the desperate malice and determined 
rebellion of Satan. But all sin, whatever its degree, 
bears the same family likeness, and is offensive to 
God and to all holy beings. A new-born tiger may 
appear as harmless as a kitten ; but it is a tiger, 
nevertheless, and its nature is cruel and ferocious. 
So what we call little faults may seem harmless, to 
the natural mind, although they really possess the 
essential elements of all sin. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 57 



XIII. 

LITTLE FAULTS — WHAT THEY DO, 

Having tried to show you that trifling faults and 
little sins, as they are sometimes called, are of the 
same nature, and possess the same odious features, as 
great sins, I wish now to say a few words about the 
mischief they do. 

Our little sins, and those ferocious insect tribes to 
which I have compared them, are widely unlike each 
other in one respect. The minute insect that looks 
so much like a scorpion or a dragon, can never grow 
up and become one of those formidable animals ; but 
it is not so with a bad habit, which, from an almost 
imperceptible and apparently harmless thing, may 
grow into a gigantic and hideous monster. Indeed, 
all great sins have their beginning in little sins. 
The hard-hearted miser, who has no affection for any- 
thing but gold, was once the stingy little boy, who 
would never allow his mates to share in his good 
things. The confirmed thief, who is shut up in 
prison for the public safety, began his career by pil- 
6 



58 the boy's book of 

fering trifling articles from his parents and comrades, 
when a boy. The hardened villain, who is ready for 
any crime, is the same boy who used to laugh when 
his parents and teachers appealed to his conscience, 
and who manifested an entire indifference to moral 
considerations, when but fourteen or sixteen years 
old. Thus it is that little faults and sins are the 
germs of great ones. They are the evil seed with 
which the adversary sows the heart. When the farm- 
er sows his field, a little child can carry the seed 
he uses ; but the great sturdy oxen can scarcely draw 
home the harvest. So is it with the harvest of evil 
which often springs up from a few little seeds, when 
they are allowed to take root in the heart. 

But it sometimes happens that very sad conse- 
quences result from little faults immediately, before 
they have had an opportunity to grow up into great 
sins. A boy in Quebec went to bed one night, and 
carelessly left a candle burning in his room, in close 
contact with some combustible article. A moment's 
thought or attention would have apprised him of the 
danger ; but, like many other boys, he was careless 
and heedless, (" little faults," he probably consid- 
ered them,) and the consequence was, a fire broke 
out, which destroyed fifteen or twenty houses. Two 
young men in Kentucky went to a " raffling match," 
and got into a quarrel about a trifling sum of money 
— only seven cents. They probably considered 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



raffling and quarreling very slight faults ; but when 
one of them drew a knife, and plunged it into the 
heart of the other, killing him instantly, the lookers- 
on must have been deeply impressed with the fact 
that terrible results sometimes flow from little sins. 
When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, it 
might have seemed to them a very small offence ; but 
what momentous consequences hung upon that single 
act ! 

" Never mind, it's only a trifle," is the sweet but 
deceptive voice that has lured many a youth to ruin. 
Beware of it, my young friends, for it will do you no 
good. 

" Think nought a trifle, though it small appear; 
Sands make the mountain, moments make the year, 
And trifles life. Your care to trifles give, 
Else you may die ere you have learned to live." 

I could relate many curious facts, showing the 
importance of trifles. The variation of a conductor's 
watch one minute and three-quarters from the true 
time, caused a collision on the Providence and Wor- 
cester Eailroad, a year or two ago, by which some 
fourteen lives were lost, and many persons injured. 
A man once gave another a check for $11.50 ; but 
he omitted the dot between the dollars and cents, and 
the bankers paid the holder of the check eleven hun- 
dred and fifty dollars, instead of eleven dollars and a 



60 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

half, and could not recover the money again. But 
if trifles are often of the utmost importance in busi- 
ness affairs, they are still more so in moral matters. 
The eternal happiness or misery of a soul may 
depend upon what appears to be a trifle. David 
recognized this truth, when he exclaimed, " Who 
can understand his errors ? Cleanse thou me from 
secret faults," — those little faults, so small and so 
cunning that they escaped his own vigilant eye, and 
were visible only to Him who "knoweth the secrets 
of the heart." We, too, have need to offer this 
prayer ; and while we pray to be delivered from 
these little sins, we should also watch earnestly 
against them ; for prayer without effort will be in 
vain. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 61 



XIV. 

LOVE YOUR PARENTS. 

A gentleman who was visiting one of our insane 
asylums, not long ago, noticed a woman, with a very 
sad expression of countenance, looking intently into 
a little pond in the garden of the institution. On 
inquiring who she was, the doctor informed him that 
she was the wife of an industrious man living in an 
adjoining town. They had a family of three boys, 
he said, two of whom died suddenly of scarlet fever, 
at about the same time. Within a week of their 
burial, the mother proceeded to a pond near by for 
some water. As she was dipping her pail, she saw 
something just beneath the surface which attracted 
her attention, and taking a wooden rake, she drew it 
to the bank : it proved to be the body of her only 
remaining child. A walnut shell, with a piece of 
paper stuck in the centre, was floating upon the 
water, and the boy was probably playing with this, 
when he fell into the pond. Before sunset the poor 
mother was mad — raving mad. She was sent to 
the asylum, and it was her daily practice to look into 
6* 



62 THE boy's book of 

the pond in the garden, just at the hour she discov- 
ered the body of her child, and then to return 
quietly to her work. If she was not allowed to go to 
the water, she would fall into violent fits and convul- 
sions. And thus did she pass year after year, in 
patient watching for her lost boy. No smile was 
ever seen upon her pale, thin face — there was noth- 
ing there but hopeless grief. 

There was a father, too, who lost a little boy. 
The child was playing with a paper balloon, which 
lodged in a tree ; and in attempting to rescue it, he 
fell from a limb, and was killed. The father loved 
the little boy very much ; and he took his loss so 
much to heart, that it made him insane. One day, 
soon after his bereavement, he went out with his axe, 
and cut down the tree from which the lad had fallen ; 
and after he had felled it, he searched carefully 
among all the branches, and called out, " Patrick ! 
Patrick ! " as though he expected to find his lost son. 
Poor man ! he will go to the child, but the child will 
no more return to him. 

My young friends, most of you have fathers and 
mothers. Do you suppose they love you as tenderly 
as these poor insane parents loved their children ? 
I have no doubt that many if not all of them do. 
Why should they not ? God has given them the same 
natural affections ; and no one can know how strong 
these affections are, till the object upon which they 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 63 

are fastened is removed by death, And if your 
parents' hearts are filled with this strong love towards 
you, do you think you can love them too well, or do 
too much to make them happy ? Suppose little Patrick 
could have returned to life, and seen his father hunt- 
ing among the branches of the tree, and calling 
piteously for him ; and suppose the other boy could 
have come back to this world, after his grief-stricken 
mother had been watching the little pond five years 
to discover him ; — in that case, should you not have 
said that those boys ought to prize their parents' love 
above every other earthly good ? And ought they 
not to be very careful not to wound the hearts so 
closely knit to theirs ? Well, if unkindness and 
undutifulness would be very wrong in them, how 
much better would these vices appear in your con- 
duct ? You must measure the love of your parents 
before you can answer that question — and that it is 
impossible for you to do. 

It is sad indeed to see a father's or a mother's 
heart broken by the death of a beloved child ; but 
there is one sight much worse than that — it is to see a 
parent's heart broken by the wicked life of a favor- 
ite son. There was a young man named Nathaniel, 
who was employed as a mail-carrier in a Southern 
State. He was supposed to be honest, but his prin- 
ciples were not very strong. He wanted more money 
than he could honestly earn ; and as he was entrusted 
with valuable letters, why could he not open some of 



64 THE boy's book of 

them, and supply his wants, without being detected ? 
He harbored the wicked thought, and by-and-bye he 
yielded to the temptation, and robbed the mail ; but 
his crime was discovered, and he was tried, and sen- 
tenced to the penitentiary. He had a father who 
tenderly loved him, and who, I have no doubt, looked 
to him as the comfort and pride of his old age. 0, 
what a cruel blow to him was the crime of that young 
man ! The dagger went deep into the father's soul, 
and in a few weeks after the arrest of his son, he died 
of a broken heart. And thus has many a father, 
and many a mother too, gone down to an untimely 
grave — the victim of grief for a son's misconduct. 

An eminent statesman had a son, who was as dear 
to him as the apple of his eye. The youth possessed 
a manly form, and talents of the highest order. But 
in college he contracted intemperate habits, and while 
yet a young man, the sun of his prosperity set in 
ignoble darkness. He abused his father's kindness, 
and squandered his property, and at length died in 
an almshouse. When the news of his miserable end 
was brought to his aged father, the stricken man 
exclaimed, " Had I been flayed alive, I could not 
have suffered more than I have suffered for that child ! " 
Boys, cherish and repay the affection of your 
parents, and let not their happiness be marred by 
your misconduct. " Honor thy father and thy 
mother, that thy days may be long upon the land 
which the Lord thy God giveth thee." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 65 



XV. 

OBEDIENCE. 

I hate spoken of the strong affection which your 
parents cherish towards you, and of the love that 
ought to flow back to them from your own hearts, in 
return for all that they have done and suffered for 
you. Every generous boy, who reflects a moment 
about the matter, must admit that he cannot do too 
much to promote the happiness of his parents. But 
after all, perhaps the precise what to do, to secure 
this desirable end, is not very apparent to all my 
young readers. 

" If I had ten thousand dollars," says one, "I 
would give it all to my poor widowed mother." 

" If my parents' lives were in danger," says an- 
other, " I would peril my own to save them." 

Another wishes he might testify his love for his 
parents by some great sacrifice, such as George 
Washington made when he relinquished his intention 
of going to sea, after all things were in readiness, out 
of regard to his mother's feelings. 

But let me tell you, my young friends, that if you 



66 THE boy's book of 

wait for an opportunity to "do some great thing," 
in proof of your affection for your parents, you may 
wait in vain. It is not permitted to all of us to 
make heroic sacrifices, or to manifest our characters 
"by great and daring acts. Nor need we be sorry 
that it is so ; for there is a way in which all may 
evince their filial affection so plainly as not to leave 
a doubt of their sincerity. The secret is locked up 
in this verse : — 

" Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to 
hearken than the fat of rams" 

In these memorable words, Samuel taught Saul 
that no offering or sacrifice could be acceptable from 
one who had not a teachable and obedient heart. To 
hearken to the commands of God, and to obey them, 
is far better proof of love for Him, than to offer the 
most costly sacrifices. So is it with parents and chil- 
dren. The most beautiful and conclusive proof you 
can give of your affection for your parents, is to ren- 
der prompt and strict obedience to all their require- 
ments. Happy the father or the mother who can say, 

" I know that my children love me, for they never 
wish to disobey me!" 

Happy the children, who can point to such a sure 
token of their filial love ! 

I need not tell you that obedience to parents is a 
duty. The youngest of my readers can repeat some 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 67 

of the commands of the Bible on this subject ; such, 
for example, as the following : 

"My son, keep thy father's commandment; and 
forsake not the law of thy mother." 

" Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this 
is right." 

" Children, obey your parents in all things, for this 
is well-pleasing unto the Lord." 

There are many similar passages in the Bible, with 
which you are all more or less familiar. You cannot 
doubt that it is God's will that you should render a 
prompt and cheerful obedience to your parents. So 
important did He consider this duty, that He gave it 
a place in the first table of the Ten Commandments, 
and annexed a promise to it. And here let me call 
your attention to a fact that I fear is overlooked by 
many boys. The Bible commands you to "obey 
your parents," and not merely your father. It tells 
you to keep the law of your mother, as well as the 
commandments of your father. You are under no 
more obligation to obey the one than the other ; or, 
if any distinction is made, it should be in favor of 
your mother, whose watchful amd tender care over 
you has laid you under the heaviest obligations that 
one human being can impose upon another. 

Among the Indians instructed by the good Mr. 
Eliot in religious things, there was a boy of fifteen, 
who, on one occasion, so far forget the teachings of 



68 THE boy's book op 

the missionary as to get drunk ; and while in this 
state, he was disobedient to his mother. The next 
time he was called upon to say the catechism to Mr. 
Eliot, he was very reluctant to repeat the fifth com- 
mandment ; and when at length urged to do so, he 
obstinately refused to say the word " mother " in its 
proper place. 

My young friend, can you say the fifth command- 
ment — the whole of it — with a clear conscience ? 



MORALS AND MANNERS. >- 69 



XVI. 

CONSEQUENCES OF DISOBEDIENCE. 

Some of the consequences of disobedience are 
particularity worthy of your notice, and if I can 
induce you to think of them, candidly and seriously, I 
shall have done you a good service. 

One consequence of disobedience that ought to be 
taken into account, is this : it often results in imme- 
diate loss or suffering to the guilty party. The young 
sometimes think the commands of their parents and 
teachers unnecessary and unreasonable ; but let them 
disobey, and they find, when it is to late to remedy 
the matter, that they have sadly burned their own 
fingers. I have no doubt that many of my young 
readers will testify from their own experience that 
this is so. 

Not many months ago, there lived in a New Eng- 
land village a boy fourteen or fifteen years old, whom 
we will call Samuel. He was an interesting and 
intelligent youth, and in many respects was a good 
boy. He was a constant attendant of the Sabbath 
school, and had enjoyed the prayers and instruction 



70 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



of Christian parents. One afternoon, while alone 
in his father's shop, he attempted to load a pistol 
which he had borrowed from another boy ; and while 
pounding down the charge, the cap exploded, and 



iilfeiiltiillilliililtili 




the ramrod passed entirely through his head. He 
was borne to his home by his afflicted friends, and 
after lingering a few hours, in an unconscious state, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 71 

he expired. One circumstance rendered this casu- 
alty doubly distressing to the friends of Samuel — it 
was the result of disobedience. He had been strictly 
forbidden to play with powder or fire-arms, and he 
died, like many a boy before him, the victim of his 
own disobedience. 

Another common result of filial disobedience is this 
— it may furnish you with abundant cause for repent- 
ance hereafter. If you wish to plant thorns in your 
pillow that shall sting you through life, you can hardly 
do so more effectually than by habitually wounding 
the gentle heart of an affectionate mother, or by 
requiting a devoted father's love and care by ingrati- 
tude and disobedience. It may seem a small matter 
now, but ten or twenty years hence, when that father 
and mother are in their graves, your unfilial conduct 
will come up in your remembrance, and you will feel 
the full meaning of the lines which perhaps your 
mother taught you in childhood : 



" And now I recollect with pain 

The many a time I grieved her sore : 
0, if she would but come again, 

I think I'd vex her so no more ! 
How I would watch her gentle eye ! 

'T would be my play to do her will ! 
And she should never have to sigh 

Again, for my behaving ill." 



72 the boy's book of 

Another evil effect of disobedience to which 1 
must refer, is this — it is the foundation of innumerable 
other vices. Let there be an end of obedience, and 
there is an end of all virtue. The barriers of the 
heart are thrown down, and evil influences of every 
kind may enter and operate without hindrance. 
There is but a step, and a very natural one too, from 
disobeying the laws of the family, and setting at 
naught the laws of God and of human governments. 

Boys, you may think this a dry and a worn-out 
subject, but it is one that intimately concerns your 
peace. From the last report of the Massachusetts 
Reform School, I learn that of the 986 boys sent to 
that institution, 395, or about 40 per cent., were 
committed for stubbornness, or habitual disobedience 
of parents. Of those who were committed for other 
vices and offences, a very large proportion must have 
commenced their downward career by disobedience. — 
Tou may find a lesson and a warning in such facts as 
these. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 73 



XVII, 



THE MIND. 



When I was quite young, I used frequently to 
see a very singular and mysterious being, -whose 
appearance was both a curiosity and a puzzle to me. 
He appeared to be a half-grown boy, older than 
myself ; but he did not go to school, like other boys, 
nor ever play out-doors with them. Whenever I 
saw him, he was in the house, seated in a high arm- 
chair, and tied in, to prevent his falling out. He 
did not smile, and his countenance never expressed 
any emotion, but was always the seat of a blank, 
unmeaning stare. He could not even talk, but only 
made inarticulate noises, like an infant. He was a 
very disagreeable object to look at, and I was always 
careful not to approach within reach of his arms, for 
I did not know what mischief he might do. 

This unfortunate being, as you have already sus- 
pected, was an idiot. That which causes you, my 
young reader, to differ from him, is your mind, or 
7* 



74 THE boy's book of 

understanding. Without the intellect which God 
has bestowed upon you, you would be as wretched 
and as pitiable an object as he was. How precious 
the gift of reason ! How grateful should you be to 
the Giver of all, for this crowning mercy, without 
which you would be more helpless and miserable than 
the beasts that perish. 

But something more than gratitude is demanded 
of you. Your mind is like the talents which the 
man in the parable gave to his servants. You must 
not only preserve it carefully, but God expects you 
to enlarge and increase its powers. These powers 
are now comparatively feeble ; but if you improve 
your mind as God designed you should, the one tal- 
ent will in due time increase to ten talents, and your 
reward will be in proportion. 

Youth is the most favorable period of life for com- 
mencing this work of improvement. Indeed, if it is 
not commenced in early life, there is little hope that 
it ever will be attended to. We learn easier in 
childhood than we do in after life, and if this favora- 
ble seed-time of knowledge is neglected, it is almost 
impossible ever to atone for the neglect. The 
farmer who sows his fields too late in the spring, will 
have a weak and scanty harvest. So the boy who 
allows his mind to run to weeds now, may, when he 
becomes a man, discover his mistake ; but, even 
with extra pains and diligence, he will not then be 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 75 

able to make good the time and opportunities he has 
wasted. He has missed the " first train " of mental 
culture, and must lag behind through the whole jour- 
ney of life, forever chasing, but never overtaking, his 
lost privileges. 

You, my young friends, have not yet passed this 
favored period of life. You are still in the midst of 
it, or perhaps are just entering upon it. But are 
you improving it aright ? Are you storing your 
minds with knowledge, and learning to think for 
yourselves ? Are you making the most of your 
schools, and books, and papers? Have you ever 
thought how much money the country is expending, 
that you may enjoy these educational privileges — 
privileges that are enjoyed in no other land so lib- 
erally as they are with us ? If you have ever 
thought much about these things, I am sure you will 
not throw away the golden opportunities now within 
your grasp. Too many lads neglect them, but they 
do it ignorantly, and thoughtlessly. They know not 
what they do. 

I once knew a man who had been very prosperous 
in business, and who, at first thought, seemed to lack 
nothing that was necessary to secure the respect of 
the community. He was a man of sound judgment, 
and of excellent natural powers of mind. He dwelt 
in a fine mansion, and possessed an ample fortune. 
He owned a noble library, and his associates were men 



76 THE boy's book of 

of education and influence. But there was one little 
worm at the root of his happiness — he never could 
go into the presence of cultivated people, without 
feeling mortified at his own ignorance ; for though 
he was a sensible and intelligent man, his early edu- 
cation had been neglected, and from childhood he had 
been accustomed to use incorrect language and to 
spell badly. He tried hard to subdue these old hab- 
its, and would probably have given half his fortune 
to remedy these deficiencies of his early years, but 
it could not be done. 

This same neglect of early opportunities has doomed 
many a man to a life of severe drudgery and pover- 
ty, as well as ignorance. Ignorant labor is the poor- 
est paid of all labor, and has the fewest chances to 
rise in the scale of social life. The man who cannot 
read and write, may answer to carry a brick-hod or to 
shovel gravel for a new railroad, but almost every 
desirable avenue to wealth and usefulness is closed 
to him. He is fit only to be " a hewer of wood and 
a drawer of water; " and you, my young friends, 
will be but little better off, when you become men, if 
you allow your minds to be buried up in rubbish 
now. " Poverty and shame shall be to him that 
refuse th instruction/' 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 77 



XVIII. 

HOW TO LEARN. 

I haye heard of a teacher who told his scholars at 
the commencement of his school, that he should give 
them only one rule, and that was as follows : — 
"Let every scholar mind his own business" 
That was an excellent as well as simple rule ; and 
if he succeeded in making his pupils obey it, I have 
no doubt they had a good school. ' ' Let every scholar 
mind his own business." What is his business ? It 
is not to stare idly about the room or out of the win- 
dows ; nor to scribble nonsense and draw caricatures 
upon his slate, when the teacher supposes he is 
cyphering ; nor to slip a story book in front of his ge- 
ography or grammar, and make the master think he 
is studying, when he is reading a tale ; nor to watch 
every movement of the teacher's eye, to catch a 
chance to whisper to a neighbor, or to have a bit of 
fun. These are not the objects for which he is sent 
to school. His business is to study ; and if he attends 
to this and this alone, he cannot help learning. 



78 THE boy's book of 

If any of you want to know " how to learn," here 
is the secret — steady, persevering application ; for 
this is the sum and substance of the rule referred to 
above. When you play, play ; but when you sit 
down to study, let play and everything else go, and 
apply yourself steadily and diligently to the business 
before you. The hardest lesson will soon grow easy, 
under such an attack as this, and the most alarming 
difficulties will melt away before it. It is hard work 
to learn, when one gives only half his mind to his les- 
sons ; much harder than when the scholar takes hold 
of his studies in good earnest. 

You all have seen how the little instrument, known 
among boys as the burning-glass, collects the rays of 
the sun, and sets on fire the tinder or dry wood. 
You cannot accomplish the feat in a moment. You 
must hold the glass steadily and patiently, and the 
focus must fall continually upon the same spot. At 
first there is but a slight heat ; but by-and-by a little 
smoke is seen, and at length the object is set on fire. 
This is the way in which the mind must be applied to 
any subject it would master ; and this is the way in 
which all great thinkers are accustomed to study. 
Sir Isaac Newton, who made many important discov- 
eries in natural science, tells us that when he wished 
to master any subject, he was wont to fix his atten- 
tion quietly but steadily upon it. Gradually, he says, 
night would grow out of darkness, and order out of 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 79 

confusion, until the subject unfolded itself to his 
mind. It was this simple and patient application of 
the great philosopher, that led to the discoveries he 
made in regard to light, gravitation, &c. 

The rule I have given you applies to your Sabbath 
school as well as week-day lessons, and to your studies 
at home as well as in the school-room. What- 
ever and wherever you attempt to study, address 
yourself in earnest to the business before you, and 
you will conquer every diffiiculty. The habit once 
formed, study will no longer be the dry and tedious 
thing it is to many boys. The better acquainted you 
become with your lessons, the more you will like 
them. The reason why they are ever hateful, is be- 
cause you do not know them. There is great satis- 
faction in feeling assured that we know more to-day 
than we knew yesterday ; and this satisfaction is con- 
tinually enjoyed by the studious boy. 

This habit of application will be very useful to you 
through life. Your days of study will not be over, 
when you leave school. There are a great many 
things to be learned, besides those that are taught in 
books. Life itself is a long school-term. Should 
you reach the age of four-score years, I do not be- 
lieve you will ever see the day when you can say, 
" My education is finished, I do not wish to learn 
any thing more." So far from this, the wiser you 



80 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

grow, the more sensible you will be of the narrow 
limits of your knowledge ; like the philosopher 
Newton, above alluded to, who in his old age seemed 
to himself like one who had only picked up a few 
pebbles on the shore of a boundless ocean. Now if 
you expect to learn as long as you live, this habit of 
application must be early acquired. Nothing great 
or important can be accomplished without it. You 
can no more excel in any branch of business without 
it, than you can now excel in school, if you do not 
give your mind to your studies. We read in the 
Bible that when Hezekiah undertook any work, "he 
did it with all his heart, and prospered." That is 
the way to study, as well as to work ; do it with a 
right good will — apply your mind as steadily and 
patiently to the lesson before you as a boy does the 
burning-glass to the object he wishes to set on fire, 
and you must succeed. 

I will now sum up what I have to say on this sub- 
ject, in a few brief 

RULES FOR SCHOOLBOYS. 

1. Determine to make the most of your school 
privileges. Though free to you, they cost a great 
deal of money, and should be valued accordingly. 
Your school days will soon be over, and if misim- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 81 

proved, they will be lost forever. We have known 
a good many people to lament that they did not 
profit more by their school privileges, but we never 
heard of a man who was sorry that he made a good 
use of them. 

2. Eivet your attention upon whatever you 
undertake to learn. Don't allow your thoughts to 
wander to the ends of th$> earth, while you are in 
the school-room. Apply your mind closely to your 
lessons, and the task will become easy. 

3. Be sure that you understand what you under- 
take to learn. Committing things to memory is not 
learning. A parrot can do that. To " say a lesson 
by heart " is one thing ; to be able to explain it, and 
apply it, is another. 

4. Be more anxious to go thoroughly, than to 
" go ahead," with your studies. One single thing 
which we know we know, is worth a dozen that we 
think we know. 

5. Believe that you can learn what you set out to 
learn. " I can " and " I will " do wonders, but " I 
can't " never accomplished any thing yet. 

6. Be as punctual and regular in your attendance 
as possible, and don't whisper during school hours. 
The three greatest sources of trouble in our schools 
are, — unnecessary absence, tardiness, and whisper- 
ing. 

8 



82 THE boy's book of 

7. Treat your teacher with kindness and respect. 
Co-operate with him in his efforts to sustain good 
order. Remember the rules of the school are 
designed for your good, and give them your prompt 
and cheerful obedience. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 83 



XIX. 



SELF-CHEATING. 



Strange as it may sound, people sometimes cheat 
themselves very badly. Those who do this ridic- 
ulous thing, it is true, are not generally considered 
very bright. But this is not the worst thing that 
can be said about them. Those folks who cheat 
themselves, almost always do it while under the 
impression that they are cheating somebody else. 
They are not honest, and in seeking to take advan- 
tage of other people, they often defraud themselves. 

Some of the most remarkable cases of self-cheating 
that I have ever noticed, occurred among school-boys. 
Indeed, I suspect that it is a very common thing for 
lads to cheat themselves. Let me tell you how some 
of them do it. 

The boy who " plays truant " when sent to school, 
is cheating himself. He thinks he is cheating his 
parents and teacher, but he is mistaken. He may 
deceive and impose upon them, but the fraud he com- 



84 THE boy's book of 

mits is upon himself. Others may regret his course, 
but after all he is himself the principal loser. 

In one of our Northern cities, there lived a boy of 
ten years, who had no father. His mother was poor, 
and as she had to go out to work every day, to sup- 
port her four children, she was of course away from 
home most of the time. Her son, whom we will call 
John, took advantage of this absence, and seldom 
went to school, although his mother always sent him. 
After awhile, his teacher and mother discovered his 
truancy, and used every means they could think of to 
make him go to school, but in vain. At length an 
agent of the " Juvenile Reform Society " heard of his 
case, and became interested in his welfare. He 
reasoned with the truant, but without effect ; and it 
was not until he told John that he must choose 
between going to school or going to the House of 
Refuge, that the misguided boy promised to reform. 
He did reform, for a little while, but soon fell back 
into his old habits. But the gentleman did not give 
him up. He took him one day to walk. They went 
among the stores, and banks, and work-shops, and he 
told John that the men and boys employed there 
were all intellectual and educated. There was no 
chance there for lads who would not go to school. 
Then they walked to a place where a gang of laborers 
were hard at work, with pick and shovel, building a 
railroad. The gentleman contrasted this kind of work 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 85 

with the business of the mechanic and merchant, and 
asked John which he should prefer. The little 
truant's eyes were now opened. He saw that he was 
cheating himself. He declared thet he would not use 
a pick-axe in the hot sun, but would be off to school, 
and qualify himself for something better. He kept 
his promise, and became one of the best scholars in 
school. If he perseveres, instead of a vagrant he 
will probably become a respectable and useful 
man. 

If the truant from school cheats himself, it follows 
that all those devices which pupils adopt to escape 
the regular duties of the school-room, are only so 
many methods of self-cheating. 

Some idle away the hours which should be devoted 
to study, and think they have escaped a disagreeable 
task — but they are only cheating themselves. 

Some, as I have before intimated, read stories or 
draw upon their slates, when their teacher supposes 
they are studying their lessons — but they, too, are 
only cheating themselves. 

Some peep into their books during recitation, or 
allow their mates to prompt them — and thus they 
cheat themselves. 

Some get their friends to work out the more difficult 
problems for them, and thus escape the effort they 
would demand — but they sorely cheat themselves. 

Some pass off, as their own compositions, produc- 
8* 



86 THE boy's book of 

tions which they never wrote, and think themselves 
lucky — but they, too, have defrauded no one but 
themselves. 

Some members of the Sabbath school seldom or 
never study their lessons at home. The consequence 
is, they feel little interest in their teacher's instruc- 
tion, and derive little benefit from it — and thus they 
are cheating themselves. 

All these classes of pupils imagine that they have 
gained an advantage, of some sort or other, whenever 
they manage to evade a lesson. But ere long, they 
will discover that they are wofully mistaken. Not 
only have they gained nothing, but they have shame- 
fully wronged and abused themselves. They have 
thrown away — not silver and gold — but the golden 
years of youth, that were given for study and 
improvement. They have defrauded themselves out 
of the spring-time of life, with its never-returning 
opportunities. They have cheated themselves out of 
one of the most precious privileges secured by our 
laws — the privilege of obtaining an education. 0, 
how many, who have thus cheated themselves in 
childhood, have repented of their folly through all 
their after lives ! 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 87 



XX. 

PURITY. 

I have read somewhere of a* lad, who, when about 
going to sea, asked his mother what he should bring 
her home. 

" My son," said the good woman, " bring me 
back that pure look of thine." 

No mother, I am sure, could wish her absent son 
to bring home a better token of his love to her than 
this. But many lads lose not only their pure looks, 
but their pure hearts and their pure language, long 
before they emerge from boyhood to early manhood. 
The simplicity and innocence of childhood give place 
to loose thoughts, immodes': manners, and impure 
conversation. There are many boys of this class in 
almost every community, and I wish to caution my 
young readers against mingling with them. You 
cannot go into their company without being injured 
by their influence and example. A polluting atmos- 
phere hangs all around them. You had better asso- 
ciate with thieves, than with such boys as these ; for 



88 the boy's book of 

it is a small matter to have one's pocket picked, com- 
pared with being robbed of one's virtue. 

A very intimate friend of the late lamented Web- 
ster, in a tribute which he paid to his memory, said : 

" I have known Mr. Webster in private circles, 
and in domestic life. I bear testimony here to-day, 
that though I have received multitudes of letters 
from him, which I now have, and many that have 
been destroyed by his order, written in the most con- 
fidential and friendly manner ; though I have had 
the pleasure of meeting him on many occasions, and 
at the festal board often, where our sittings were 
long, I bear testimony that never in my life did I 
hear an impure thought or a profane expression come 
from the lips of Daniel Webster. I further bear 
testimony, that never in my life have I known a man 
whose conversation was uniformly so unexception- 
able in its tone, and uniformly so edifying in its 
character." 

Is not this an eulogy which any man might covet ? 
And yet it is within the power of the humblest of us 
to compete even with Daniel Webster in this matter. 
It does not require talent, or education, or station, to 
do this ; we have only to set a faithful watch over our 
hearts and tongues, and we shall be safe. 

There are some habits which we can never entirely 
annihilate, after we have once formed them. The 
use of impure language is one of these habits. It 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 89 

may be subdued and slumber for years, till its exis- 
tence is almost forgotten ; and then, in the delirium 
of fever, it may suddenly burst forth to the astonish- 
ment of all who listen. Many a devoted Christian, 
in the delirium of a sick-bed, has shocked his friends 
by the use of profane or obscene language, which 
could be explained only by the fact that he had been 
familiar with such language in early life. In read- 
ing the memoir of Dr. Grant, the missionary to the 
Nestorians, I was struck with a fact relating to his 
last illness. For seventeen days previous to his 
death, he was in a delirium ; but, says his biogra- 
pher, " though speaking almost constantly on many 
topics, in three different languages, — that is, Eng- 
lish, Turkish, and Syriac, — he did not utter a 
single word he would have been ashamed of after- 
wards. His associates listened to these disclosures 
of his secret heart, and wondered that nothing 
appeared that they would have wished to conceal." 
A poet has said, 

" Immodest words admit of no defence, 
For want of decency is want of sense." 

Impure language not only indicates a "want of 
decency," and a "want of sense," but it is the 
sign of a corrupt heart. " Out of the abundance of 
the heart the mouth speaketh." Indeed, it is of 



90 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

little use to try and reform the tongue unless the 
heart is set right. If we harbor impure thoughts, 
we shall be very likely to use impure language ; and 
even if we do not openly transgress, the sin will be 
scarcely less in the eye of (rod, who judges the heart, 
as well as the conduct. Our Saviour, in his sermon 
on the mount, said, " Blessed are the pure in heart, 
for they shall see God." Take this text as a motto, 
my young friends, and try to conform yourselves 
to it. See what a promise is appended to it! 
" They shall see God ; " but what of the vile and 
impure ? God, " thou art of purer eyes than to 
behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity." The 
guilty cannot stand in Thy pure presence. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



91 



XXI. 

LAZINESS. 




N Indian at one of the mis- 
sionary stations, when asked to define original sin, 
replied that it was laziness. Though incorrect, the 
answer was not a bad one ; for laziness certainly is 
the parent of a terrible progeny of sin and misfortune. 
This tendency of idleness to run into vice and crime, 
was very strongly set forth by an eminent English 



92 THE boy's book of 

judge, who said, "If any one wishes to have his son 
hanged, let him bring him up in idleness." That is 
the way many a son has been ruined, as every one 
familiar with our courts and prisons will testify. 

Among the " wants," advertised in the city daily 
newspapers, you will often see something like the 
following : — " Wanted — a smart, active boy," or, 
" an industrious boy," or " a boy who is willing to 
make himself useful to his employer." Such boys 
are always wanted. There are plenty of good places 
for them, in our counting-rooms, and stores, and 
workshops, and on our farms, where they may learn 
the arts and mysteries of business, and be fitted for 
an honorable and useful life. These are the boys, 
who, twenty years hence, are to be our leading me- 
chanics, merchants, manufacturers and farmers. If 
they live, you may be sure they will make their 
mark in the world. 

There are many boys, however, who do not exactly 
answer to the above advertised descriptions. Very 
clever lads they may be in other respects, and free 
from bad habits generally ; but they are not smart, 
nor active, nor industrious, nor willing to make them- 
selves useful. When at home, they idle away their 
time, while all the rest of the family are employed. 
They are not " handy "about the house, nor wil- 
ling to assist in the out-door work of the family. So 
much do tjiey dislike every thing that looks like 
work, that they even shun those active sports which 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 93 

call the muscles into healthful play. These are not 
the boys that get good business situations, when they 
leave school ; or if they get them, they do not keep 
them long. The brisk, energetic trader cannot 
endure their shiftless habits, and the thrifty mechanic 
soon discovers that they are " more plague than 
profit." So, as soon as their character is discovered, 
they are dismissed, to go through the same short and 
unsuccessful probation with some other employer. 
Poor fellows ! they will soon find it is a serious mat- 
ter to be afflicted with laziness. 

Not long ago, a young man was sentenced to the 
Connecticut State Prison, for forging pension papers. 
He was an intelligent-looking man, and of fine per- 
sonal appearance, being over six feet in height. As 
he was exchanging his own clothing for the striped 
suit which the convicts are compelled to wear, he 
remarked to the prison officer in attendance, that he 
had never done a days work in his life. No won- 
der he brought up so soon at the State Prison. He 
could hardly have taken a surer path to that institu- 
tion ; for it is one of the great evils of laziness that it 
leads to sin. No man is so severely tempted as the 
idler. He invites and coaxes temptation. He sur- 
renders the key of his heart's citadel to Satan, and 
asks him to enter and take possession ; and you may 
be sure that Satan never declines such an invitation. 
By turning to Eze. 16 : 49, you will see that this was 
9 



94 THE boy's book of 

one of the means by which he obtained such extraor- 
dinary power over the infamous city of Sodom. 

Some of my young readers may think I am making 
too much of what they consider a slight fault, but it 
is not so. That which opens the door to Satan, and 
leaves the soul exposed to a host of temptations, can- 
not be an unimportant matter. You who are now 
forming habits for life, cannot guard yourselves too 
carefully from the danger I am pointing out. 



" Eschew the idle vein,— 

Flee, flee from doing nought ; 
For never was there idle brain, 
But bred an idle thought. " 



Another of the evils of laziness, is, that it leads to 
want. Solomon said, " An idle soul shall suffer 
hunger," and we often see the proverb verified. 
Paul directed, " that if any would not work, neither 
should he eat." The penalty certainly is just. 

There is still another reason why we should shun 
the formation of lazy habits. The lazy man is a use- 
less member of society. In this busy, stirring age, 
when so much is being done for the enlightenment 
and improvement of mankind, it is a greater disgrace 
to be an idle spectator than ever before. What an 
insignificantly small fraction of a man must he be, 
who settles himself down into the inactive life of a 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 95 

vegetable, and allows his joints to rust out, and his 
muscles to shrink away from disuse, when there are 
such urgent calls and such noble inducements for 
labor ! Be active and diligent, then, my young 
friends, and in due time God will give you all a 
work to do. 



96 THE boy's book of 



XXII. 

# . USEFULNESS. 

In the preceding article, I cautioned you against 
falling into lazy habits. Smart boys, it was shown, 
are "at a premium." They are wanted by the 
farmer, the mechanic, the manufacturer, the merchant, 
and the shipmaster. You have thought the subject 
over, I hope, and have resolved to form such habits, 
that when you leave school, you need not be afraid 
to offer your services to the man who wants "an 
active, industrious boy, who is willing to make himself 
useful." 

The boyhood of Dr. Grant, the excellent Ameri- 
can missionary to the Nestorians, presents some points 
which every lad may study with profit. When quite 
a little boy, he began to think that he should like to 
become a physician, when he grew to be a man : and 
when about seven years old, unknow ; to the family, 
he had a drawer neatly fitted up as a miniature 
apothecary's shop, with money which he had saved. 
This shows that he was looking forward, even at that 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 97 

t 

early age, to a life of usefulness. But this did not 
prevent his attending to his school duties. " At ten 
years of age," says his biographer, "he might be 
seen poring over his books, while others played. 
Nor were these mere story books, but history and 
science were already his chosen themes." When 
he was fourteen or fifteen years old, his services were 
needed much of the time on the farm. His cherished 
hopes of being a physician did not seem likely to be 
realized ; but he did not allow this disappointment to 
prevent his being useful. He labored faithfully, 
devoting his leisure hours to his books. Many a 
volume he read fastened to the plough ; and at the 
" nooning," when others slept, he was reading. After 
a while, his services became so valuable at the home- 
stead, that probably his father would never have con- 
sented to his leaving it, had not a severe wound from 
an axe in one of his feet so unfitted him for agricul- 
tural labor, that he was allowed to gratify his oft- 
repeated desire to study medicine. 

There are several things in the character of this 
youth, worthy of your imitation. He early began to 
look forward to an active and useful life. Few of 
you, probably, will pitch upon a profession, while so 
young as he, for the majority of people do not mani- 
fest any strong natural preference for a particular 
calling in childhood. But though you do not set 
your hearts on any definite occupation, you should 
9* 



98 . the boy's book of 

even now begin to look ahead to a life of industry 
and usefulness. And, like him, you should begin to 
prepare for such a life, by making yourselves as use- 
ful as possible to your parents. The thousand little 
services which you can do about house, will be as 
valuable to yourselves, in aiding you to form active 
habits, as they will be useful to your parents, in 
lightening their burdens. There is one other thing 
worth noticing in the character of the little Grant 
boy — he did not neglect his books, because he was 
obliged to work. Some boys hate to study more than 
they do to work, and will submit to the latter, for the 
sake of getting rid of the former. This lad, you 
perceive, was not one of these ; and now, judging 
from these traits in his youthful character, do you 
think it strange that in after years he became an 
industrious and intelligent man, and a faithful and 
devoted missionary ? 

In your efforts to make yourselves useful, there are 
three little rules that you will find very important. 
One is, to do cheerfully whatever labor you under- 
take to perform. The sour, scowling, fretful and 
unwilling worker is but little if any better than the 
shiftless idler. The labor which he accomplishes is 
seldom well done, and his efforts go to confirm a habit 
of ill-nature, and not of industry. So neither himself 
nor anybody else is benefited by the tasks he performs. 

The second rule is, to do promptly whatever you 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 99 

undertake. When asked to do a thing, do it imme- 
diately, and not by-and-bye, unless it is of such a 
nature as not to admit of immediate attention. You 
have read of the Bible character who said, in reply to 
a command, " I go sir," but went not. I have 
known many youth who resembled him. They 
intended to do a good many things that were never 
really done, for the simple reason that they did not 
do them promptly. Remember, then, that one job 
done now, is better than a good many that you are 
going to do, by-and-bye. 

The last rule I shall give you now, is to do faith- 
fully whatever work you take in hand. Do not sup- 
pose that your work is unimportant, and that you may 
for this reason, slight it. If it is worth doing at all, 
it is worth doing well. Besides, if the work itself 
were not very important, it is of great importance 
that you should not form the habit of half doing what 
you take in hand. He that is unfaithful in small 
matters, will be unfaithful in great ones. 



100 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



XXIII. 



DEPORTMENT. 



You have heard a great deal of the wonderful 
progress the world has made, during the last fifty 
years. When we think of our railroads and steam- 
boats, our noble ships and beautiful buildings, our 
innumerable labor-saving machines and vast factories, 
we almost pity those who lived before us, and wonder 
and smile at their ignorance. "What would our 
forefathers say, if they could come to life now ?" we 
often boastfully ask. No doubt they would be 
astonished ; but I am afraid their astonishment would 
not always be very complimentary to their descend- 
ants. They would, I fear, discover some changes 
which neither they nor we could pretend were improve- 
ments. One thing that would attract their notice, I 
think, would be the manners of the young. Most 
people who have lived fifty years, agree that the chil- 
dren of the present day are not quite so civil, and 
respectful, and obedient, as the children of their 
young days. They tell us that the young are now 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 101 

more rude, and forward, and pert, than they used to 
be. Old people are perhaps rather apt to think the 
world is growing worse and worse ; but in this 
instance, I am afraid they are more than half right. 
The young do not manifest that respect towards their 
elders, in some parts of our country at least, which 
used to be considered just and proper. 

I noticed a group of small boys, the other day, who 
were sliding on the ice by the side of the road. One 
of them happened to look up, and noticing a woman 
passing along the street, he cried out, so loud that 
she could not help hearing, " Hullo, you Paddy 
woman ! " The woman, — who, by the way, was of 
respectable appearance, — took no notice of this 
unprovoked and impudent salutation ; but as I passed 
along, I heard one of the lad's playmates say to him, 
" Why, Jimmy ! I should think you would be 
ashamed to speak so." Perhaps " Jimmy " did feel 
a little ashamed of himself, when he came to think 
the matter over. As a citizen of the same town, I 
could not help feeling ashamed of his conduct ; but I 
also felt proud of the manly little fellow who rebuked 
his ill manners. 

You can hardly give a boy a worse name than to 
say he is ill-bred, saucy and impudent. Everybody 
avoids such a boy, as much as possible. Sensible 
people are annoyed by his impertinence, and give him 
" a wide berth." They regard him very much as 



102 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

they do the musquito — a pert and ill-mannered 
intruder, whose littleness alone saves him from the 
doom which his attacks deserve. Some boys have 
their ill-manners so plainly stamped upon their faces, 
that you may know them as far as you can see them. 
The bold stare, the impudent leer, and the brazen air 
of assurance, tell us their characters very plainly, 
before they have opened their mouths. There is 
something very repulsive in all this, and I am glad 
that I can say that this lowest and worst development 
of a bad habit is not common. 

If full-bloomed impudence is so unlovely a flower, 
it is certainly worth your while to avoid with care 
whatever would tend to aid its growth. The habit, 
like all others, is formed slowly and by degrees. It 
usually commences with rudeness and incivility 
towards parents. The boy begins, perhaps, by reply- 
ing with a blunt yes or no to the questions of his 
parents ; or by contradicting them, or " answering 
back," when rebuked for a fault. He soon grows 
disrespectful towards his teacher, and finally comes 
to treat his elders generally as though they were no 
older, wiser or better than himself. You see, there- 
fore, the importance of nipping this fault in the bud. 

The rule of good manners may be thus stated : 

To your elders and superiors, be respectful. 

To your equals, be civil. 

To your inferiors, be kind and considerate. 

To all, be courteous. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 103 

"Be courteous" is one of the commands of the 
Bible, and it is therefore a Christian duty. A polite 
and gentlemanly deportment may be easily acquired 
in youth, and will prove of great advantage to you 
through life. It will gain you valuable friends, and 
admit you into the society of the wise and good. But 
it should spring from real kindness of heart, and not 
be a mere empty pretence. See, then, that you 
cherish kindly feelings towards others, for a show of 
respect, without these, would be but a mockery and 
a sham. 

And now one word for " Jimmy," before I close. 
I do not know as he will ever see this book ; but if 
it should happen to fall into his hands, I would advise 
him, in case he does not reform his manners, to 
reserve his impudent language hereafter for rich and 
well-dressed people. They would care very little 
for his impertinent remarks ; but to hoot after the 
poor and unfortunate, the foreigner and the negro, 
the aged and decrepit, is quite another thing. It is 
what an old writer quaintly calls " beating a cripple 
with his crutches." It is mean and cruel, and I 
hope "Jimmy" has enough manliness left to follow 
my advice, and never do so again. 



104 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



XXIV. 

TOBACCO. 

A LETTER ADDRESSED TO A BOY WHO SMOKED. 

Dear Henry : — Perhaps you will be surprised 
when I tell you that I am going to address this long 
letter particularly to yourself. And it may be, you 
will be still more astonished to find it printed in a 
book where thousands of other boys may read it. 
Well, let them read it, I say. It may be of some 
benefit to them, as well as to yourself; and as I 
know you are not a selfish boy, I guess you will not 
object to having it published. 

" But,' I hear you say, " why do you direct the 
letter to me ? — and about tobacco, too ! " 

Well, Henry, I will tell you why. There is a cer- 
tain lad whom I often meet in the street, and whose 
countenance and bearing have very favorably im- 
pressed me. Although I actually knew little about 
his character, I somehow got the idea that he was a 
very promising boy. He seemed to be intelligent, civil, 
obliging, and neat, and his appearance was on the 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 105 

whole quite prepossessing. " He will make a good 
man," I have often thought, " and his parents have 
already cause to be proud of him." But how do you 
suppose I felt, when, a few days ago, I met this same 
fine lad with a cigar in his mouth ! Why, the shock 
was no slight affair, I can assure you. It was as if a 
freezing blast from the north pole had blown in upon 
me in the middle of a sweltering summer day. That 
boy, who in imagination I had registered at " A, 1," 
as the underwriters say, suddenly went down to — I 
hardly dare tell you what. It was certainly " below 
par," to use another mercantile phrase. After think- 
ing over the matter a little, I determined to write 
him a letter about it. This is the letter, and you are 
the hoy! 

" But," I hear you ask, " suppose you did see 
me smoking a cigar, was there any crime in that ? 
Don't many good men smoke, and is anybody shocked 
because they do ? " 

Yes, I am sorry to say that some good men do use 
tobacco ; but they acquired the taste for it in their 
youth, and now it is almost impossible for them to do 
without it. I do not believe, however, that they 
would like to have their sons imitate them, in this 
respect; and if you should ask their advice, I am 
pretty sure they would tell you by all means to avoid 
forming a taste for the poisonous article. So you 
cannot make much out of their bad example. 
10 



106 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

And now I will tell you why I was shocked, at 
the sight of that cigar in your mouth. It was not 
because it is a crime to smoke. I will not venture 
to say that it is a sin to use tobacco, under any cir- 
cumstances. But this I do say, that the use of tobacco 
in any form, by the young, is a very bad sign. Sup- 
pose all the idle, vicious, and dissolute young men 
of a certain town should adopt some peculiar article 
of dress — say a hat of an odd and unusual style. 
I should call that a rowdy hat, and when I saw a 
youth adopting it, I should say it was a bad sign, 
even if I knew nothing of his character. So the 
cigar is everywhere the badge of the rowdy. It is 
the inseparable companion of the grog-shop and the 
gambling-saloon ; and wherever the vicious gather 
together, there you will find the smoke of the cigar, 
and the filthy spittle of the tobacco chewer. The 
use of tobacco is, indeed, one of the bad habits 
which such characters almost invariably acquire ; and 
every youth who forms this habit, so far puts himself 
on a level with the rowdy and the loafer. 

Then, again, do you not know that smoking and 
chewing often directly lead to more vicious practices ? 
They not only frequently lead the young into bad com- 
pany, and put them in the way of temptation, but 
it is their nature to create a thirst for intoxicating 
liquors. If used constantly, they deaden the taste, 
so that water, milk, and even tea and coffee, become 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 107 

insipid, and the appetite craves something stronger 
and more stimulating. I have no doubt that tobacco 
has thus led many a young man into drunkenness, 
and from drunkenness to crime. 

Tobacco is a powerful poison, and all medical wri- 
ters agree that its effects upon the body are per- 
nicious. But I have not room to take up this point. 
If you wish to learn more of its poisonous nature, you 
can find books on the subject in almost any library 
or bookstore. # 

And now, before I conclude this letter, let me 
assure you that I am not the only one who regards a 
cigar in the mouth of a boy as a bad sign. Almost 
everybody looks upon it in this light ; and if I could 
have you by my side a few minutes, I think I could 
make you yourself confess that it is a bad sign. 
Would you go to the merchant or mechanic with a 
cigar in your mouth, to apply for a situation ? Or 
suppose a cigar or piece of tobacco should roll out 
from your cap, as you took it off, or peep out sus- 
piciously from your pocket, as you sat down to talk 
with the merchant or mechanic, — should you expect 
your application would be favorably received, after 
that ? No, you know very well that all your letters 
of recommendation would avail you nothing, if such 
a palpable letter of disparagement should unluckily 
show itself; and I venture, to predict that you would 
carefully empty your mouth and pockets of the vile 



108 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

poison, if you were going into the presence of one 
whose favor and good opinion you wished to obtain. 
And is not this confessing that the use of tobacco is 
a bad sign ? So, at least, it seems to 
Your friend, 

UNCLE WILLIAM. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 109 



XXY. 



SWEARING. 



There are few things, my young friends, that grate 
more harshly on the ears of thoughtful and sensitive 
people, than profane language, especially when it 
proceeds from the mouth of childhood or youth. 
Unlike most other vices, this does not yield even a 
temporary gratification, and is of no possible advan- 
tage to those who embrace it. It is a sort of extra 
offering to the devil, for which not even the semblance 
of a return is made. In other words, it is " serving 
the devil for nothing." 

Then why do men swear ? Because they form 
the habit in youth, and it is very difficult to get rid of 
it. And why do boys swear ? Because they hear men 
and their own young associates use profane language, 
and are led to imitate them without thinking much 
about the matter. If they could only be persuaded 
to reflect a little upon this subject — if they would 
think how insulting it is to God, and how offensive it 
is to all who are not themselves guilty of the practice, 
10* 



110 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

and how vulgar, foolish and unnecessary it is — 
there is little doubt that they would form a resolution 
to avoid this bad habit. There are many lads who 
have formed this resolution, and I hope all who read 
these pages will be induced to join themselves to the 
number. 

When I hear a boy swear, I need not ask what 
kind of company he keeps. Profaneness is not 
learned among the good. It is the badge of vulgar- 
ity and vice, and is almost invariably accompanied 
with other bad traits. It is, in fact, almost an uni- 
versal habit among the vicious. The Chaplain of 
the Massachusetts Reform School has ascertained, that 
of the 986 boys sentenced to that institution, up to 
the date of the last annual report, 872 had been 
addicted to profanity. These lads, it should be 
remembered, were not committed to the Reform 
School for profaneness, but for other offences. It 
would appear, from this, that eight-ninths of the boys 
who fall into criminal habits, are profane swearers. 
No wonder that Howard, the English philanthropist, 
used to button up his pocket, when he heard a person 
swear, on the ground ' ' that any one who can take 
God's name in vain, can also steal, or do any thing 
else that is bad." 

It is a very bad sign, when a person says, " I 
don't care what people think about me." When one 
becomes indifferent to the good opinion of others, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. Ill 

especially of the pure and upright, the way is prepared 
for his rapid progress down hill. This disrespect 
for the opinions of others, is a marked feature in the 
character of the swearer. He knows that every oath 
he utters, sinks him in the eyes of the virtuous ; and 
yet he grows more and more indifferent to this 
consideration, until at length he cares very little 
about it. 

The swearer not only suffers in the good opinion 
of others, but he makes himself a positive annoy- 
ance to them. To a pure ear, as before remarked, 
there are few things more unpleasant than to be 
obliged to listen to a torrent of profane oaths ; but 
this is a very common annoyance in cars, coachea, 
steamboats, and other public places. I have heard 
of a young naval officer who was travelling in the cars, 
and freely intermingling his conversation with pro- 
fanity, when a young lady seated near him, inquired 
if he could converse in Hebrew. On his replying 
that he could, she politely told him that he would 
greatly oblige her, and probably most of the passen- 
gers, if he would do the rest of his swearing in that 
language. The reproof took effect. If swearers 
generally knew how their disgusting and often blas- 
phemous language grates upon the ears of those who 
are not addicted to the vice, they would cease from 
the habit, if they were not entirely lost to a sense of 
decency and self-respect. 



112 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

But the most serious objection to profane swearing, 
is, that it is a sin against God. In one of its most 
common forms, it is a direct violation of the third 
commandment ; and in every other possible form, it 
is forbidden by the New Testament. I need not 
quote texts in proof of this, for you are all familiar 
with them. 

I have lately read of a mother, who cured her 
little son of swearing by washing out his mouth with 
soap and water, every time she heard him utter an 
oath. If there was somebody to perform this service 
for every boy that swears, the effect would doubtless 
be good. But there is a moral defilement in this 
habit, which soap and water cannot cleanse, nor 
parental affection wash away. These may cure the 
young swearer of his vice ; but Grod alone can wipe 
out the stain left upon the soul by profane words. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 113 



XXVL 
GUNNING. 

My young friends, are you fond of gunning ? 

" yes," I hear some lad reply : " I like thatiwa. 
first-rate. I've got a gun of my own, and I can 
bring down a bird on the wing, three times out of 
four. It's capital sport — don't you think so ?" 

Well, that is just what I wish to talk with you 
about. As I sit at my study window, near the edge 
of a large tract of woodland, I often see boys pass by, 
with guns on their shoulders, going in quest of game ; 
and occasionally the sharp crack of their muskets 
reaches my ear, reminding me of the nature of the 
sport in which they are engaged. Then, again, I 
once in a while look up into the branches of the tall 
cedar which shades my window, and catch a little 
troop of birds in the act of peeping slily into my 
premises, or skipping and hopping among the 
branches, and twittering as fast as they can, as if 
they meant to attract my notice. What they mean 
by this, I do not exactly know ; but I have sometimes 



114 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

imagined that possibly they might be a delegation of 
my feathered friends, sent to request me to intercede 
in their behalf with the boys whom I may address 
through these pages. Whether this surmise is correct 
or not, I think I ought to take up their cause, and 
give you my opinion of gunning ; and here it is, in 
a very few words : 

Gunning for amusement, as ordinarily practised 
by boys, is dangerous, cruel, and of immoral ten- 
dency. 

It seems to me that any unprejudiced person, who 
carefully considers the subject, will arrive at this 
opinion. Set down your gun, my sharp-shooting 
friend, you who just asked my opinion of the sport, 
and let us reason a little about the matter. In the 
first place, I say it is a dangerous amusement. 

" No danger if you're only careful — I never got 
hurt yet," you say. 

Well, were it not for that " if," there might be 
something in your argument ; but as it is a notorious 
fact that boys are not careful, no answer is necessary. 
Almost every newspaper we take up, records one or 
more deaths from the careless use of fire-arms ; and 
in most cases, the victims are boys or young men. A 
gentleman of Brooklyn, N. Y., E. Meriam, Esq., 
kept a record for a period of a little more than two 
years, of all the accidents of this kind which came to 
his knowledge. In communicating the facts to the 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 115 

Portsmouth Journal, in March, 1854, he says, during 
the period embraced, " 105 persons have been killed, 
either by their own hands, or by their sporting com- 
panions, while engaged in the wicked practice of 
hunting harmless wild animals and birds, to wound 
or kill them, and besides these, 32 persons have been 
wounded while engaged in the same cruel sport. 

" The catalogue embraces, probably, but a small por- 
tion of the killed and wounded within the same period 
— it contains only such as we have met with accounts 
of in the newspapers within the field of our research, 
and very far outnumbers the deaths by lightning 
recorded by us during the same term of time, within 
the same field of research." 

Could a full record be made of all the boys who 
have been killed or mutilated for life by fire-arms, 
even within one year, what a sad story would it tell. 
And is there no danger in gunning ? 

I have said it is a cruel amusement. Its object is, 
to destroy the lives of some of the most harmless, 
defenceless, and beautiful creatures that God has 
made. It mangles and mutilates the sweet warblers 
who confidingly build their nests around our dwellings, 
and pay their rent with their delightful songs. It 
wantonly murders the parent bird, leaving its mate 
to pine in grief, or its little ones to starve. It 
destroys many birds that are not only harmless, but 
positively useful to the farmer. It also inflicts need- 



116 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 




less suffering and death upon the innocent and frolic- 
some squirrel tribe, and upon the other harmless and 
happy four-footed inhabitants of the forest. All this 
is cruel ; and He without whose notice not even a 
sparrow falls to the ground, will assuredly hear the 
cry of these poor victims of barbarous sport. 

I have alluded to the immoral tendency of shooting 
birds, &c, for amusement. I mean by this, that it 
hardens the heart, and fosters a cruel disposition. 
The boy who can find amusement in wounding or 
slaying innocent birds, has already laid the foundation 
for a cruel, vindictive temper. Nero commenced his 
infamous career of cruelty by tormenting animals. 
Those who addict themselves to the sport in question, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 117 

also violate the whole spirit of Christianity, which is 
one of kindness and gentleness. Besides this, they 
usually put themselves under bad influences. The 
idle and dissolute are more addicted to such pursuits 
than any other class, and are too apt to be the tutors 
and associates of boys who seek amusement with the 
gun. Is it not clear, then, that the tendency of such 
sports is evil ? 

Such is my opinion of gunning. I hope, my young 
friends, you will think the matter over, and be led to 
the same opinion. 

11 



118 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



XXVII. 

KINDNESS TO ANIMALS. 

Among tbe objections I brought against gunning 
was its cruelty. I am afraid that to some lads this 
objection will not have quite so much force as it 
ought to have. Cruelty to animals is a sin that 
many seem to regard as a very trifling matter. Even 
children sometimes take delight in torturing weak 
and defenceless creatures. This probably arises from 
thoughtlessness, in most cases ; and the proper rem- 
edy of the evil, therefore, is to show them the real 
nature and consequences of such conduct. 

You believe that God made you to be happy, and 
that he would be greatly offended with any one who 
should purposely destroy your life, or inflict needless 
suffering upon you. The same good Being who 
made you, also created all these tribes of inferior 
animals ; and we have good reason to believe that he 
desires their happiness. He has given them capac- 
ties for enjoyment, and has provided each particular 
race with the means of gratifying its natural tastes 
and instincts. He has, indeed made them subject to 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



119 



man ; and this confers upon us the right to slay such 
as are necessary for food, or to supply our other 
wants ; to train such to labor, as are fitted to this 



sste ; -'-- 




kind of service ; and to destroy such as are injurious 
or dangerous to ourselves. But it does not confer 
upon us the right to inflict unnecessary suffering upon 
a brute, or to take, its life in sport • and there can be 
no doubt that God is displeased with those who are 
guilty of these practices. 

Many of the animals that suffer most from the cru- 
elty of man, are useful, affectionate and faithful ser- 



120 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

vants to him, and are therefore peculiarly entitled to 
kind treatment. Some of them may almost be called 
his benefactors; such, for instance, as the noble 
horse, the most useful and docile of domestic animals ; 
the strong and patient ox, whose iron sinews are so 
willingly devoted to the service of man ; the gentle 
cow, whose milk is so necessary to our comfort ; the 
faithful and devoted dog, who would not hesitate to 
sacrifice his own life, to defend his master from harm ; 
and even the bird, who confers an incalculable but 
too often unappreciated benefit upon the farmer, by 
destroying insects that would otherwise make sad 
depredations on his crops. How ungenerous, how 
mean, to inflict needless pain upon such faithfnl 
friends, and to take their life without a satisfactory 
reason ! The name of tyrant and oppressor is odious 
to every noble heart ; but how often do we see the 
very spirit of Nero manifested towards weak and 
defenceless brutes, by those who would scorn to be 
thought unjust or oppressive ! 

Every act of cruelty towards an animal, tends to 
harden the heart, and to blunt its nice sensibilities. 
A habit of cruelty is very easily formed ; and when 
a boy has arrived at such a state that he can destroy 
innocent and gladsome life in sport, or beat and abuse 
without cause the domestic animals he dare not kill, 
nothing is more natural than that he should extend 
the same treatment to his weaker playmate. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 121 

Where occasional acts of cruelty do not result in this 
settled habit, they often leave behind a sting which 
time can never wholly remove. A boy once shot a 
robin with an arrow, breaking both her legs. The 
poor bird fluttered for a moment, then slowly arose 
from the ground, and flew heavily towards her forest 
home, her legs dangling in the air, and her beak still 
grasping the food which she had collected for her 
nestlings. As the boy gazed at this sight, and 
imagined the mournful scene that would be presented, 
when the wounded bird returned to its late happy 
nest, his conscience smote him, and he sadly turned 
his steps homeward. He disposed of his bow and 
arrow, and many years afterward declared that he 
could never think of this deed, without feeling the 
pangs of that cruel arrow in his own bosom. 

I have given three reasons, you perceive, against 
the cruel treatment of animals. The first is, that it 
is a sin against God ; the second, that it is mean- and 
ungenerous ; and the third, that it either tends to 
harden and degrade those who are guilty of it, or 
will be remembered with regret in after life. 

In Norway, the people have a beautiful custom of 
treating the birds to a nice feast, every Christmas 
day. On the morning of that day, every gable, 
gateway, and barn-door is decorated with a sheaf of 
corn fixed on the top of a tall pole ; and it is said that 
the carolings of the birds about these offerings is a 
11% 



122 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

very pleasant sight. The Arab chief would consider 
his high-mettled horse degraded, were he once to 
have submitted to the whip ; and examples have 
been known where the breeders of this noble race of 
steeds, have refused to sell a favorite animal, unless 
the buyer would consent to bind himself by the most 
solemn oath that the creature should never be made 
to feel either blow or spur. Let us try to manifest 
something of this spirit, in our treatment of the infe- 
rior animals. Who of you will not respond a hearty 
aye to this proposal ? 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 123 



XXVIII. 

A CRUEL SPIRIT. 

Speaking of " kindness to animals," reminds me 
that there is another species of cruelty, concerning 
which I wish now to make a few remarks. I mean, 
cruelty towards associates and friends — a mean and 
wicked spirit, which, I am sorry to say, is quite too 
common among boys as well as men. 

This spirit manifests itself in various ways. It some- 
times, for example, leads boys to inflict cruel injuries 
upon their fellows, in fits of anger or revenge. An 
instance of this kind occurred in Dorchester, a few 
months since, and was widely noticed in the newspa- 
pers. A boy fifteen years old persuaded a younger 
lad to go to ride with him, and treated him in a most 
friendly manner, for a while. At length, however, 
when they reached an unfrequented road, the older 
boy, with the aid of an accomplice whom he had 
secured, bound the other lad, hand and foot, and 
stopped his mouth with a handkerchief. They then 
led him to a thicket, where the older boy reminded 



124 the boy's book of 

him of an old grudge, arising from a difference at 
school, a year previous, and told him that he was 
now going to whip him till the blood ran down to the 
ground. They then lashed him to a tree, and, 
although the weather was cold, stripped him entirely 
naked, and were about to complete their cruel design, 
when a man happened to hear the screams of their 
victim, and came to his relief. This outrage 
awakened much indignation in the community; 
but it was only acting out boldly a spirit which 
is often indulged by boys, and which manifests itself 
by inflicting cruel suffering upon those who have 
given offence. 

A cruel disposition sometimes manifests itself by 
the infliction of pain in a spirit of thoughtlessness, 
and of wanton sport. Boys who are addicted to this 
habit, unlike the lad above mentioned, may be free 
from malice ; and yet they occasion much unneces- 
sary suffering among the victims of their thoughtless- 
ness. They seem to imagine that others have no 
feeling, and that pain, if only inflicted in fun, is no 
longer pain. They should ponder the fable of " the 
boys and the frogs." u It may be sport to you," 
said the poor frogs to their tormentors, " but it 
is death to us." 

Boys sometimes evince a cruel disposition by a 
domineering and overbearing course of conduct 
towards those who are weaker than themselves. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 125 

They take advantage of the weakness of others, and 
make an unfair use of the power and influence they 
possess. This is the very spirit of the tyrant. Tyr- 
anny is power abused ; and the strong and lusty 
youth who exercises an arbitrary and despotic author- 
ity over his juniors in years, or his inferiors in physi- 
cal strength, is just so far a tyrant. 

Another way a cruel spirit sometimes manifests 
itself, is, by teasing and annoying others. These 
petty annoyances, considered by themselves, may 
appear like trifles ; but when they are constantly 
repeated, they occasion much real suffering, especially 
if their victim has the misfortune to be petulant or 
timid. Many a boy has almost lost the affection of a 
sister for life, by persisting in this habit. 

There is one other way, (and it is the last that I 
shall mention,) in which boys manifest a cruel spirit. 
It is by disregarding the feelings of their parents. 
Those of you who are blessed with good fathers and 
mothers, know that they have many anxieties on 
your account ; and many tender yearnings in your 
behalf. The youth who can trifle with these feel- 
ings — who can treat a mother's tears with cool indif- 
ference, and mock at a father's solicitude for his son 
— must be far advanced in hardness of heart, and 
cruelty of spirit. 

Let me, then, urge my young readers to adopt this 



126 THE boy's book of 

as one of their rules of conduct — never to inflict 
needless suffering upon others. The spirit of cru- 
elty is a ferocious, a savage, a barbarous spirit. It 
is the very spirit of fiends ; and it is only " the dark 
places of the earth " that are " full of the habitations 
of cruelty." The opposite of this is the spirit of 
heaven ; and on earth, we ever find that the purest 
and holiest beings are the most gentle, the most 
affectionate, the most compassionate. Truly and 
beautifully has an English poet written, 

" He prayeth best, who loveth best 
All things both, great and small ; 
For the dear God who loveth us, 
He made and loveth all." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 127 



XXIX. 

INTEGRITY. 

A year or two since, one of the members of the 
great English banking-house of Baring & Co. visited 
Boston, and was honored with a public dinner. 
Among the speeches made on the occassion, was one 
by Hon. Edward Everett, who, after referring to the 
immense business transacted by this house, through 
a period of about one hundred years, added, that 
" of all the millions, I had almost said uncounted 
millions, which have passed through their hands, not 
one dishonest farthing has ever stuck by the way" 
This was certainly a high tribute to the honor and 
honesty of this celebrated business firm. Among 
bankers, merchants, and others, who have large busi- 
ness transactions, integrity of character is a very 
essential virtue ; and almost the highest praise you 
can bestow upon such men, is, to say that no shadow 
of suspicion or reproach has ever fallen upon their 
good name. 

The same virtue, — unbending integrity, — is of 



128 THE boy's book of 

the highest importance in all the other relations of 
life. Men cannot do business with one another, or 
even live together in communities, without confidence 
in each others' integrity. Even thieves, when they 
band together to plunder the public, are obliged to be 
honest among themselves. Integrity, therefore, is as 
necessary to the mechanic as to the merchant ; to the 
errand-boy as to the banker ; to the servant as to the 
master. It is one of the strong bonds, by which 
society is held together. 

By integrity, as the word is here used, is meant, 
uprightness in dealings with others. As such deal- 
ings are common even among children, integrity is a 
virtue which the youngest of my readers may put in 
practice. It will make you strictly honorable and 
honest, in all your little bargains one with another. 
It will not allow you to take advantage of another's 
ignorance or inexperience. It will not permit you 
to run down an article you wish to buy, or to praise 
up one you wish to sell, beyond what the facts in the 
case will warrant. It will not suffer you to drive a 
hard bargain, or to give play to that kind of " sharp- 
ness " which is too much commended among men, 
but which is only another name for fraud and decep- 
tion. It will lead you to make prompt restitution, 
should you discover a mistake by which you have 
obtained what did not belong to you. Should you 
find an article of value, it will lead you to return it 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 129 

to the owner, if he can be ascertained. It will 
prompt you to keep your promises ; to be careful of 
the property of others, entrusted to your control ; 
and, in short, in all your dealings with others, it will 
incite you to do as you would have others do to you. 

This is integrity — and nothing short of this is 
entitled to the name. It is worthy of notice, that 
the English word by which we express this virtue, is 
derived from the Latin term integer, which means 
entire, or whole. That cannot properly be called 
integrity, which is not strict and entire. It must 
extend even to little things ; for dishonesty in trifles 
naturally leads to a breach of trust in more important 
matters. 

If men would observe the tenth commandment, 
there would be vastly more integrity in the world 
than there is. Covetousness is the root from which 
dishonesty springs. The surest and easiest way, 
therefore, to establish a character for integrity, is to 
avoid harboring covetous desires. 

Among the illustrious men which England has 
produced, no one stands before Lord Bacon. The 
splendor of his genius not only shed a glory upon 
the age in which he lived, but has poured a flood of 
light down the track of centuries, reaching even to 
these latter days. This great man was not only dis- 
tinguished as a philosopher, but he held many exalted 
offices under government. And yet this illustrious 
12 



130 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

name has come down to us with such a terribly foul 
blot upon it, that a writer has given its owner the sad 
pre-eminence of being the " wisest, brightest, meanest 
of mankind." Bacon with all his genius, lacked one 
thing — integrity. As Lord High Chancellor of 
England, he was guilty of gross bribery and corrup- 
tion, and was degraded from office, and condemned 
to a heavy fine and imprisonment. That stain can 
never be wiped from his name, but the world will 
marvel, to the end of time, that so much greatness 
and so much meanness should have dwelt together. 

A few years after this dark cloud overspread the 
glory of Lord Bacon, another illustrious name began 
to rise into notice in England ; and it is a name 
which still shines brightly on the page of England's 
history — that of Sir Matthew Hale. He, too, was 
a man of superior abilities, and of vast learning ; 
but it is not for these alone that he is remembered 
and honored. He was a man of singular integrity of 
character — a trait which manifested itself in the 
commencement of his career, and shed a lustre over 
Jhis whole life. He at length became the Chief 
Justice of England, and endeared himself to the 
nation by his just, impartial, and humane conduct. 
To this day, his memory is cherished in England and 
America, but chiefly is he remembered and revered 
as the upright judge, and the man of lofty in- 
tegrity. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 131 

Which of these illustrious men, my young friends, 
would you prefer to resemble ? Their learning and 
genius may be beyond your reach, but there is not 
one of you who may not sink to the baseness of Bacon, 
or rise to the integrity of Hale. 



132 THE boy's book of 



XXX. 

HONESTY THE BEST POLICY. 

Perhaps what I have just written has reminded 
some of my young readers of the familiar maxim, 
" Honesty is the best policy." The meaning of this 
saying is, that in the long run, honesty is more profit- 
able than dishonesty. This is true, with very few 
exceptions ; and in the present article, I wish to relate 
some instances, which illustrate it. 

Some four hundred years ago, a remarkable execu- 
tion took place in Germany. The criminal was very 
rich, and he appeared on the gallows, clothed in a 
black velvet cloak and cap, adorned with ermine and 
precious stones, and wearing the massive chain of a 
reigning lord. Around the gallows were arranged 
three hundred silver cups and fifty golden vessels of 
various kinds. What is still more remarkable, is, 
that this wealthy criminal had himself aided in build- 
ing the gallows, twenty years before. At that time 
he was a carpenter, but fortune smiled upon him, and 
he gradually rose in station and wealth, until he 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 133 

became the powerful Burgomaster of Augsburg. 
But a portion of his gains, at least, were dishonest, 
and a terrible retribution they brought upon him. 
The gold and silver vessels which decorated his gal- 
lows, "were found in his house, and he had obtained 
them from the citizens by unjust means. So they 
were brought to remind the miserable man of his 
crime, and to impress upon the vast multitude who 
assembled to witness the execution, the truth that 
" honesty is the best policy/' 

A year or two ago, a rich Armenian of Constanti- 
nople lost a portfolio, containing four hundred 
thousand piastres, and he offered a reward of forty 
thousand to the finder, if he would return it. It 
happened that a very honest and poor old man found 
the treasure, and he promptly restored it to the owner, 
and claimed the promised reward. But the Armenian, 
in order to escape payment, pretended that the port- 
folio also contained a valuable ring, which the old 
man must have stolen. The affair was at length laid 
before the Sultan, for the finder of the money now 
felt that he had been doubly wronged. The Sultan, 
having ascertained the honesty of the old man, and 
the well-known avarice of his adversary, decided that, 
as the Armenian declared that his portfolio contained 
a ring, this could not be the one he had lost, and that 
he had better return it to the old man, and continue 
to advertise for his own. Thus did the dishonest 
12* 



134 THE boy's book of 

man learn, at a dear price that " honesty is the best 
policy." 

In this city, not long ago, a small boy found a 
pocket-book in a store. He knew to whom it 
belonged, but did not restore it to the owner ; and 
the consequence was, that he was arrested, and taken 
to the Police Court, to answer to the charge of what 
is termed " constructive larceny." His mother, 
however, made restitution, and the Court, in consid- 
eration of his youth, suffered him to be discharged ; 
but he will doubtless remember, as long as he lives, 
how he learned the lesson, that " honesty is the best 
policy." 

An old and extensive trader among the Indians, 
commenced his successful career in this way. He 
sold a quantity of goods to a chief, who agreed to 
bring him twelve coon-skins on the morrow, in pay- 
ment. The next day, the chief returned, with his 
whole band, his blankets stuffed with coon-skins. 

" American man, I pay now," he said, and he 

began counting out the skins until he had handed over 
© © 

twelve. Then, after a moment's pause, he offered 
the new trader one more, saying, 

"That's it." 

" I handed it back," says the trader, " telling him 
he owed me but twelve, and I would not cheat him." 
We continued to pass it back and forth, each one 
asserting that it belonged to the other. At last he 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 135 

appeared to be satisfied, gave me a scrutinizing look, 
placed the skin in the folds of his blanket, stepped 
to the door, and gave a yell, and cried with a loud 
voice : 

' Come, come, and trade with the pale face, he no 
cheat Indian ; his heart big. ' 

He then turned to me and said : 

6 You take that skin, I tell Indian no trade with 
you — drive you off like a dog — but now you 
Indian's friend, and we yours.' 

Before sundown I was waist deep in furs and 
ioaded down with cash. So / lost nothing by my 
honesty." 

The motive to an honest life, drawn from such 
examples as these, is not a very high and noble one, 
I admit. We ought to be honest, because honesty is 
right, and not because we shall gain something by it. 
And yet, as the grand object of dishonesty, in most 
cases, is to gain some advantage, there is no impro- 
priety in showing that all such hopes are in the end 
delusive. So, then, my young friends, if you are 
ever tempted to commit a dishonest act, remember 
that it is a sin against both God and man ; and if this 
is not enough to deter you from it, remember, also, 
that you will be a loser rather than a gainer by it, 
for, " honesty is the best policy." 



136 THE boy's book of 



XXXI. 



TRUTHFULNESS. 



I have been quite interested in reading one of the 
recent publications of the Mass. S. S. Society, enti- 
tled, " Walter Powers, the Orphan Boy." It relates 
the history of a little boy, who somehow fell into the 
habit of telling falsehoods ; and a very sad time he 
had of it, too. He went to live in a Christian family, 
where, though an orphan, he found a good home ; 
but this one fault, (for in other respects he was a 
good boy,) made a great deal of trouble, both for 
himself and for the kind friends who received him 
into their home. At first they found it almost im- 
possible to make him realize the wickedness of lying. 
Again and again he would tell the most shameful 
falsehoods, and evince no concern about the matter, 
except a fear of detection. After a while, however, 
he began to grow sensible of the enormity of the sin ; 
and conscience, which had been overpowered by his 
bad habit, began to awake. But even after he 
became really anxious to get rid of his besetting sin, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 137 

he had to struggle hard to do it, and it was long 
before his friends dared to believe that he had con- 
quered the enemy. Poor fellow, he found that this 
ugly weed which he had suffered to grow so long in 
his heart, had got to be so stout and deep-rooted that 
it required many painful efforts to pull it up. Had 
he not fallen under Christian influence just as he did, 
perhaps it would never have been exterminated. 

Truthfulness is one of the foundation stones of a 
good character. The reputation which does not rest 
upon this foundation, is like the house our Saviour 
described, built upon the sand. It cannot stand. 
This corner stone of the character ought to be laid 
deep and firm in childhood. I hope none of my 
readers have neglected this important duty, and yet 
perhaps a few words on the subject may not be 
useless. 

You all know that a great deal is said in the 
Scriptures about truthfulness and falsehood. By the 
aid of a reference Bible, you might easily find 
several scores of passages on the subject. Some of 
these passages are remarkably plain and emphatic. 
For example, we are told that the devil "is a liar, 
and the father of it ; " that " lying lips are abomina- 
tion to the Lord; "and that " all liars shall have 
their part in the lake which burneth with fire and 
brimstone." Now this is remarkable language, and 
it expresses as strongly as words can express the 



138 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



abhorrence which God feels towards this form of 
sin. 

In the fifth chapter of Acts, is given an account 
of a lie and its consequences, which should be pon- 
dered by every one who is ever tempted to swerve 
from the truth. It is a record of the fearful judg- 
ment that came upon Ananias and his wife, in conse- 
quence of their attempt to deceive the apostles. They 




were both struck dead, and their history is recorded 
for our admonition. 

On the other hand, the manner in which God has 
declared his love of the truth, is hardly less remark- 
able. So important is this virtue considered, that - 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 139 

the word truth is sometimes used to signify righteous- 
ness — all the virtues and graces combined ; as when 
David says, " Thou desirest truth in the inward 
parts." So, also, God is revealed to us as the " God 
of truth ; " and Christ declared himself to be " the 
way, the truth, and the life." 

Even among heathen nations, lying is generally 
regarded as a degrading vice. Some of the wise 
men of ancient Greece and Rome have left behind 
them very good precepts on this subject. But there 
are some people who have sunk to so low a scale, as 
to regard lying as innocent and justifiable. It is said 
that the natives of the island of Ceylon are such liars 
that it is impossible to depend upon their word, even 
when they are under oath. One of their men of 
high rank was once called on to give evidence at a 
trial, and swore such complete falsehoods that he was 
imprisoned for perjury. He was astonished at this, 
and applied to the English governor for redress. 
" My father," he said, " was a liar, and my grand- 
father was a liar, and my great grandfather was a 
liar, and we are all liars. It is the custom of my 
country ; why should I be punished ? " 

But while most people are ready enough to admit 
the wickedness of great lies, there are some who think 
it is a trifling matter to tell what they call white lies, 
or fibs. These little falsehoods, however, are both 
wrong and dangerous. They are wrong, because 



140 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

they are falsehoods ; and they are dangorous, because 
they blunt the conscience, and prepare the way for 
still greater departures from the truth. The only safe 
way is, to avoid all forms of deception, whether by 
word or act, even in trifling matters. Dr. Johnson 
has wisely said, " All truth is not of equal impor- 
tance ; but if little violations be allowed, every vio- 
lation will in time be thought little." 

li He never told me a lie ! " exclaimed a mother, 
weeping over the remains of her darling boy. To 
how many of you, my young friends, could this noble 
and touching tribute be paid, were your mothers 
suddenly called to part with you ? 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 141 



XXXII. 



NEATNESS. 



Among the boys whom I meet in the street, I 
sometimes notice one who will answer to the follow- 
ing description : — His face looks as though it had 
not come in very close contact with soap and water 
for a day or two at least. His hands are begrimed 
with a thick and hardened coat of dirt, that must 
have been accumulating for several months. His 
finger-nails are long and black. His hair is tangled 
and frouzy. His clothing is, perhaps, nearly new, 
and of good material, but spotted with grease, ink, 
and other substances, and showing unmistakable signs 
of hard usage. The school book under his arm is 
little else than a collection of blotted and tattered 
dogs'-ears. In short, his whole appearance is that of 
a careless, slovenly fellow. 

The personal habits of such a boy generally corres- 
pond with his slovenly appearance. His cap, when 
not on his head, will generally be found kicking 
13 



142 THE boy's book of 

about on the floor. His other garments, when he 
has occasion to remove them, are served in the same 
way. You will find one leg of his pantaloons turned 
inside out ; his new jacket is crumpled into a heap 
and tossed under the chair, as though it were but an 
old rag • one of his shoes is in this corner, and the 
other is not to be found. His books, and playthings, 
and everything else that belongs to him, receive the 
same kind of treatment. 

Ten chances to one our young sloven uses tobacco ; 
for this vile weed is just fit for such as he, who have 
never taken the first lesson in neatness and cleanli- 
ness. You would suspect that he is a tobaceo-chewer, 
from the filthy habit he has of spitting around upon 
the floor, walls and furniture ; and if you examine 
close, you will probably find some indications of the 
fact in the corners of his mouth. If he happens to 
soil his hands, he wipes them upon his pantaloons. 
He never thinks of removing the mud from his feet, 
when he enters the house. His sleeve or hand 
answers the purpose of a handkerchief, and he is 
more or less addicted to other disgusting habits, of 
which no neat person would ever be guilty. 

The character I have described is not an uncom- 
mon one. All of you must have often seen just such 
boys, and you know how disagreeable their presence 
is. On the other hand, who does not like to see a 
neat, tidy boy, with his fresh, rosy face, his well- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 143 

combed hair, his cleanly though perhaps well worn 
dress, and his general air of order and neatness ? I 
must confess that to me there is something very 
pleasant in such a sight. 

A lad once applied for a situation to a merchant 
who had advertised for an errand boy. The gentle- 
man told him that another boy had offered himself, 
a little while before, whom he thought he should 
employ. However, he asked the second comer a few 
questions, and then went and talked with the other 
applicant, who stood in the back part of the counting- 
room. The result was, that the lad who first applied 
was dismissed, and the other engaged. The success- 
ful lad rose from the post of errand boy to that of 
a clerk, and from that to a partner, and finally the 
whole business was relinquished to him. After he 
had been in the store several years, the merchant 
told him that he chose him in preference to the other 
boy, because of the general neatness of his person ; 
while with reference to the unsuccessful applicant, he 
noticed that he had neglected properly to turn down 
his vest collar. To this apparently trivial circum- 
stance, one boy owed the loss and another the gain of 
an excellent situation. The successful lad had been 
brought up to habits of neatness, by his mother, and 
to this he always ascribed much of his business 
prosperity. 

Some of my readers may have entertained the 



144 the boy's book of 

notion that the virtue I am trying to inculcate is not 
of much consequence. In fact, perhaps you do not 
like to see people so particular and precise about their 
personal appearance. There is, I know, such a thing 
as being over-nice, in this matter ; but the fact that 
some people carry the virtue of neatness to excess, is 
no excuse for slovenliness in any one. 

There are several advantages resulting from neat- 
ness, to which I can only briefly allude. One is, the 
feeling of comfort and satisfaction it imparts. There 
is a real enjoyment in being clean and tidy, and thus 
neatness is its own reward. Another advantage is, 
its beneficial influence on our health. When the 
cholera and other fearful pestilences visit our cities 
and villages, they select their victims mainly from 
those who are uncleanly in their habits, or live in 
filthy districts. Another advantage of neatness is, 
that it prepossesses others in our favor, as you saw 
in the story of the two boys above. It is hard to love 
or respect a slovenly person. The fourth and last 
advantage I shall mention, is, that purity and cleanli- 
ness of person tend to preserve and foster purity of 
heart and speech. Not that the filthy and slovenly 
are always rotten to the core, — for there are cases 
where the disease is confined to the outside ; but 
when the bark of the tree becomes corrupt, there is 
danger that the contagion will work inwardly. Such 
are some of the rewards of neatness. Who of you 
will say this is a habit of little importance to boys? 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 145 



XXXIII. 



SYSTEM. 



Some of yon, my young friends have perhaps 
played off the following trick, which is sometimes 
practised by boys : — You take a small stick of wood, 
and tell the person who is playing with you that you 
can tire him out completely, in the attempt to take it 
out of the room, although you will not interfere with 
his action, nor add to his burden. He laughs at the 
challenge ; but when you take your knife and cut off 
a small splinter, and tell him to carry it out, and 
return for more, the truth flashes upon him, and he 
gives up the job, which might cost him a thousand 
journeys back and forth. 

There are many people in the world who labor 
very hard, and yet accomplish but little, because 
they waste their time and strength in carrying splint- 
ers one by one, instead of taking the whole stick at 
once. They are people who have no order, method 
or system in their affairs. They begin, continue , and 
end their career without any definite plan, or well- 
13* 



146 THE boy's book of 

directed, systematic effort. They work at nap-haz- 
ard, and are continually going over the same ground, 
tearing down to-day what they built up yesterday. 
Such people may seem very active, but they never 
accomplish anything great or noble. They are 
unsuccessful people, — the victims, as they imagine, 
of ill-luck and misfortune. 

What beautiful order and system do we behold in 
all the works of God ! Every thing he has made, is 
governed by fixed laws, and all his works are full of 
harmony and design. So regular are their move- 
ments, that events which are to happen in the firma- 
ment may be foretold years before they transpire. 
Grod works by system, and every event that occurs 
on earth, contributes towards the fulfilment of his vast 
designs. 

When nations go to war, the commanders of the 
hostile armies carefully plan all the movements of 
their respective forces, and the fighting is done in a 
systematic manner. A campaign without a plan or 
method, would be a sure failure. The merchant who 
has no order or system in his business, is on the road 
to bankruptcy. The farmer or mechanic who knows 
no rule but chance, and leaves everything at loose 
ends, will never be successful or eminent in his call- 
ing. 

The life of Dr. Noah ^Webster affords a striking 
illustration of the value of system. When a young 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 147 

man, he conceived the idea of producing a new dic- 
tionary of the English language. Having deter- 
mined to make this the great work of his life, he set 
about preparing himself for it, by an extensive course 
of study. Year after year he labored on, in patient 
obscurity, exploring the fields of literature and sci- 
ence, and gathering and arranging the materials for 
his great work. Every thing he read, or studied, or 
accomplished, had a bearing on the great object of 
his life ; and this was the grand secret of his success. 
" Method," says his biographer, " was the presiding 
principle of his life." 

The love of order and system often manifests itself 
at an early age, and is a praiseworthy and enviable 
habit, even at that period of life. The boy who stud- 
ies and works by method, will accomplish much 
more, by the same means, than another boy of simi- 
lar capacity, who acts on the "helter skelter" prin- 
ciple. He knows what he is to do and he does it. 
He does not begin twenty different things, and leave 
them all unfinished. " One thing at a time, and 
a time for everything/' is his motto. If he has a 
lesson to learn, he does not neglect it until the hour 
of recitation has almost arrived. He has a season 
for play, and another for work, and does not allow 
the one to interfere with the other. You think he 
has a strange knack of doing things easily, and won- 



148 THE boy's book of 

der if he has not got a stronger mind and body than 
other boys. But his secret is, order and system. 
These habits are his " labor-saving machinery," 
which enable him to accomplish more work than his 
fellows, in a better manner, and in less time. 

A very rich man, who had been quite poor when a 
boy, was asked how he acquired his wealth.' He re- 
plied that his father made him form the habit in early 
life, of doing every thing in its time, and it was to 
this habit that he owed his success. 

Do you ask how you shall form this habit ? Be- 
gin in your own room. Have a place for every arti- 
cle that belongs to you, and when you have done 
using a garment, a book, or a play-thing, do not 
throw it clown at random, but put it where it belongs. 
Then, when you want it again, you will not lose 
your time or temper in hunting it up. Have, also, 
a time for every duty. If it is your business to drive 
home the cows from pasture at night, always be on 
hand for duty, at the regular hour. If you have a 
patch of ground to keep clear of weeds, instead of 
working very hard an afternoon, and then neglecting 
it for a fortnight, bestow a little systematic attention 
upon it three or four times a week. If you are 
expected to learn a lesson at home, every day, to 
recite at school in the morning, set apart a particular 
hour to attend to it, and let nothing interfere with 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 149 

your plan, when you can avoid it. So with every 
other duty. Persevere a little while in this course, 
and you will soon have acquired habits of order and 
system that will be of the utmost value to you 
through life. 



150 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 



XXXIV. 

TEUSTS. 

Most of you, I suppose, like to be trusted with 
responsibilities. You feel gratified when you are 
sent to select and purchase an article on your own 
judgment ; or when you are entrusted with a large 
sum of money, which you are to convey to some one 
else ; or when you are permitted to go on a journey 
alone, to visit a friend ; or when anything of value 
is left in your charge, in the absence of the owner. 
It is always pleasant to know that others confide in 
our ability and fidelity. 

But there are some boys, as well as men, who can- 
not safely be trusted. They may be divided into two 
classes ; viz. , those who are dishonest, and those who 
are careless, thoughtless and inattentive. It is a sad 
thing for a boy to fall into either of these classes. 
His weakness will soon be discovered, and then every- 
body will look upon him with distrust. 

An intelligent, respectable and promising boy of 
fourteen years of age, once entered into the employ- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 151 

ment of a store-keeper in a New England town. He 
won the confidence of his employer ; but soon began 
to abuse the trust reposed in him, by purloining small 
coins from the money drawer. At first, his depreda- 
tions were neither frequent nor large ; but having 
broken down the barriers of his integrity, he grew 
more and more daring in his secret visits to the till. 
At length his employer began to suspect something 
was wrong, and sent an officer to the house of the 
boy's father, to whom the dishonest youth confessed 
his guilt. After the officer had retired, the miserable 
boy, stung by mortification and remorse, and dreading 
further exposure, went to his room and discharged 
the contents of a pistol into his head. Thus, at the 
age of fifteen, he went down into a dishonored grave, 
inflicting a terrible calamity upon his family, and sol- 
emnly admonishing the young, by his mournful end, 
to beware how they betray a trust committed to their 
charge. 

Less criminal, but far more common, is that species 
of faithlessness to trusts which springs from careless- 
ness and inattention. Many boys who would not 
think of pilfering property left in their care, will yet 
suffer it to be injured or lost by their neglect. Great 
mischief often results from this bad habit. I dare 
say the trouble and loss occasioned by the heedless- 
ness of boys, is five times greater than that caused by 
their dishonesty. A lad, for instance, has a little 



152 the boy's book of 

sister, whom he is required to attend daily on her 
way to and from school. She is too small to be 
trusted alone, and besides, there is a stream of water 
to pass on the way, which makes it more dangerous. 
But, one pleasant day, after school, her brother gets 
so interested in his sports with his mates, that he for- 
gets his little sister, and does not go for her. She 
waits until she is tired, and then starts for home. On 
reaching the stream, she sees something bright in the 
water, close to the bank. By turning aside a little 
from the road, she thinks she can reach it. She 
makes the attempt, falls into the swift current, and is 
borne away. What will her brother say, when he 
goes home alone, and his parents anxiously inquire 
for the little girl ? And 0, how will he feel when 
they and the neighbors go forth to search the woods 
and the river for the lost one, and return with only 
her lifeless body ! 

This is only a supposed case ; but I can assure you, 
my young readers, that many a slight neglect of a 
trust has led to as sad a result as the one I have im- 
agined. Let me now relate a real incident, which 
illustrates how a boyish breach of trust may lead to 
a serious loss of property. In a village in Maine, 
there was a boy who was employed to make the fires 
in the district school-house. One morning, early in 
winter, as he was trudging to the school-house, he 
noticed that the river was frozen over hard enough for 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 153 

skating. Anxious to try the ice, he kindled the fire 
as quick as possible, and left it sooner than usual. 
In his haste to get away, he piled a large quantity of 
wood upon the fire, and also left a lot of fuel in dan- 
gerous proximity to it, intending to return shortly, 
and put things to rights. But during the few min- 
utes he was absent upon the ice, the fire fell down, 
and spread among the wood surrounding it, and soon 
the whole building was in flames, and totally con- 
sumed. And thus nearly a thousand dollars was lost 
because a boy neglected a trust for a few moments. 
My young friends, trusts of greater or less impor- 
tance are already committed to each one of you. If 
they are small and humble, do not despise them; but 
remember that he who is faithful in little things, will 
also be faithful in great ones; and that "to whom 
men have committed much, of him they will ask the 
more." In the words of Paul to Timothy, then, I 
say to each one of you, " Keep that which is com- 
mitted to thy trust." 

14 



154 the boy's book of 



XXXV. 

QUARRELS. 

As two men were out hunting, in Maine, not long 
ago, they came across two large bucks, lying dead 
upon the ground. On examination, they discovered 
that the horns of the animals were so firmly locked 
together, that they could not be separated. It was 
evident that there had been a desperate encounter, 
which had resulted in the death of both of the com- 
batants. The horn of one had severely wounded the 
throat of his antagonist, and probably hastened his 
end ; while the survivor was doomed to suffer a still 
more terrible death, by starvation. 

These bucks were silly animals, no doubt. Were 
not the forests of Maine large enough for both, that 
they must attempt to knock each other's brains out ? 
Or was there an old grudge between them, that they 
must needs settle by making battering-rams of them- 
selves ? We cannot say how this was ; but of this 
we are certain, that their propensity td*quarrel got 
them into a very ridiculous and, as it proved, a fatal 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 155 

predicament. Nor were these silly bucks much more 
foolish, after all, than some people are whom God 
has endowed with rational minds. Who has not seen 
boys bumping their heads together, and striking, 
kicking and clawing each other in a furious manner, 
as though they were wild beasts ! And if they did 
not kill each other, like the bucks, did they not in 
most cases come out of the encounter equally dam- 
aged, both in person and character ? And what good 
did their fighting do ? Did it settle the dispute be- 
tween them ? Did it make them love each other bet- 
ter ? Did it win them the respect of other people ? 
Did it benefit them in any way ? no, it was a 
tempest of passion and blows, and the only marks it 
left behind it, were those of guilt, shame and destruc- 
tion. 

My young friends, if any of you are afflicted with a 
contentious, quarrelsome disposition, now is the time 
to correct it, before this unhappy habit of mind be- 
comes incurable. Every time you indulge such a 
temper, the habit will become more confirmed. You 
certainly will admit that it is wrong to quarrel. The 
Bible condemns the practice, in the plainest terms, 
and teaches us to love our enemies, and to do good to 
those who injure us. You know, too, something of 
the bad effects of quarreling. It does no good ; on 
the contrary, it makes a bad matter worse, and widens 
the breach in which it originates. It is also a foolish 
and dangerous method of settling disputes. 



156 j THE boy's book of 

Some people are habitually and notoriously quar- 
relsome. They have become so accustomed to con- 
tention, that it is almost impossible to have anything 
to do with them, without being drawn into a quarrel. 
Hot water is the element in which they seem to thrive 
best. They can always find something to contend 
about, though oftentimes the quarrel is all on one 
side. They remind me of a foolish cockerel I once 
knew, who one day saw himself reflected in a bright 
tin boiler which happened to be in the yard, and flew 
at it in gallant style. He did not discover his mis- 
take, but kept up the battle with himself for some- 
time, stopping every little while to crow over his im- 
aginary victory. It is an old saying that, ' ' it takes 
two to make a quarrel," but it is not always so. If 
you look through colored glass, every object you see 
takes the hue of the glass. So to a quarrelsome fel- 
low, everybody he meets seems to dare him to fight, 
when in fact the disposition to quarrel is entirely 
confined to himself. 

But the danger is not so much that any of you will 
become habitually quarrelsome, as that you will occa- 
sionally be betrayed into contests with your fellows, 
in moments of sudden passion. Ah, these fits of sud- 
den passion — what mischief do they work in the 
young heart ! Oft and again have they proved bomb- 
shells, scattering the firebrand of fierce contention, 
where all was friendship and peace before. Avoid 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



157 



all such outbursts of passion, if you would live an 
innocent and happy life. Rather yield something of 
your rights, than contend for them in such a spirit as 
this. Remember the words of Holy Writ, " He that 
is slow to anger is better than the mighty ; and he 
that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city." 
But of this, more anon. 
14* 



158 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 




XXXVI. 



GETTING MAD. 



Some people are always getting wisdom, and 
others, money. Some get renown, and others, 
shame and sorrow. But of all the getters with 
whom I am acquainted, those who are much addicted 
to getting mad, are about as foolish, unhappy, and 
disagreeable a set of people as any other class that 
can be named. There are those who always fly into 
a passion, at the slightest provocation ; whose tempers 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 159 

are like tinder, that needs only a spark to set it a-fire. 
Others get angry less frequently, and only when they 
have been unusually annoyed or tempted. Both of 
these classes are deserving of censure, though not 
equally. They bear about the same relation to each 
other, that the man who gets drunk every day does 
to him who gets into that situation only once in a 
week or month. " Getting mad " is a species of 
intemperance, which cannot be safely indulged, even 
on rare occasions. 

" I couldn't help it — I was mad," said a boy, in 
extenuation of some improper act which he had com- 
mitted in a moment of passion. This was a poor 
excuse, for he could have helped getting into a passion, 
if he could not control the storm after it was once 
aroused. Anger resembles insanity. A man in a 
furious passion is hardly conscious of what he says or 
does. He is no longer a rational being. He throws 
away for the time the high prerogative of reason, and 
puts himself on a level with the brute. 

Some one has said, that " he submits to be seen 
through a microscope, who suffers himself to be 
caught in a passion." By this is meant, I suppose, 
that a person in a rage makes disclosures of his secret 
character, which he would carefully conceal were he 
in his right mind ; just as one who has inhaled 
" laughing gas," unconsciously acts out his natural 
disposition, while under its influence. It is also the 



160 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

case, in many instances, that anger magnifies the 
deformities of character it exposes. It makes its 
subject appear worse than he really is, and thus he 
may be said to place his character under a microscope. 

When a person gets angry, he is very apt to say 
and do many ridiculous things. Did you never feel 
that you had made a fool of yourself, in a fit of pas- 
sion ? " He that is soon angry, dealeth foolishly," 
says Solomon ; and the experience of most of you will 
probably confirm the saying. 

" The angry man punishes himself for the faults of 
another," is also a common and very true saying. 
Anger is a very uncomfortable passion. You cannot 
be happy, while its unholy fires are burning in your 
heart ; and even after the outbreak is over, the recol- 
lection of it must disturb your peace. So you may 
be said to punish yourself, out of spite to some one 
else. 

Anger leads to revenge — one of the lowest and 
most malignant passions of the human heart. The 
latter would have no existence but for the former. 
Man is never so much like a demon, as when revenge 
has taken full possession of his soul, and we cannot 
too carefully guard against opening the door to this 
hideous enemy. 

Anger is unchristian. " Be not hasty in thy 
spirit to be angry," says the preacher; and an 
apostle commands us to put away " all bitterness, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 161 

and wrath, and anger." All holy thoughts and feel- 
ings flee away from the angry heart, and the unclean 
spirits that have been cast out, return with sevenfold 
strength. 

Here are six good reasons for not getting mad. I 
will give you one more, and that is, the sad conse- 
quences that often result from a momentary fit of 
passion. In Rochester, a year or two ago, two boys 
met in the street, and got into a dispute about a 
small cake, of the value of half a cent. From words 
they proceeded to blows, when one of them drew a 
knife, and plunged it into the breast of the other, 
killing him almost instantly. 

In Boston, not long ago, two apprentices quarreled 
about the ownership of a tool, which both claimed, 
and in the heat of passion, a struggle ensued, during 
which one of them gave his comrade a blow on the 
head which resulted in death. The survivor, whose 
previous character had been good, was sentenced to 
prison for manslaughter. 

In Texas, a few months since, two young men, 
who slept together, and had been intimate friends for 
years, got to playing, as they arose in the morning. 
One of them pulled off the bed-clothes from the 
other; then they commenced scuffling, and finally 
both got mad. A struggle now ensued, during 
which one of them seized a pistol by the muzzle, 
and dealt his companion a severe blow on the fore- 



162 THE boy's book of 

head fracturing the skull. The blow not only 
dangerously wounded the person at whom it was 
aimed, but it also discharged the pistol, and instantly 
killed the one who held it. Truly a sad termination 
to a little sport. 

These are all extreme cases, I know ; but they 
illustrate the danger of getting mad. In many 
instances where the result is not so tragic as in those 
I have just related, the consequences of anger are 
nevertheless very sad and painful, and plant a thorn 
in the heart which even repentance cannot extract. 
Let us, then, try to avoid this fault, and to practice 
the rule of our Saviour, whose command is, " Love 
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to 
them that hate you, and pray for them which despite- 
fully use you, and persecute you." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 163 



XXXVII. 

REVENGE. 

This, my young friends, is one of the blackest and 
most malignant passions of the human heart. If we 
wished to imagine a fiend, the twin passions of hate 
and revenge would stand out most prominently in the 
picture. And yet these passions, so congenial to 
devils, and so unfitting to all other beings in the 
universe, are common among men, and even mani- 
fest themselves in very early life. Who of us all 
can say he never revenged an injury, nor indulged 
in a retaliatory spirit ? Alas, I fear it would be hard 
to find a boy over six years of age, who never was 
guilty of this sin. And I quite as strongly fear that 
it would be easy to find hundreds of lads, under 
fifteen years of age, who are so accustomed to indulg- 
ing in revenge, that they are little better off than a 
man described by John Foster, whose memory con- 
sisted of " a row of hooks to hang up grudges on." 
But, fortunately, though this fault is a great and a 
common one, it is not beyond the hope of a remedy. 
We can conquer it, if we will make the effort. 



164 THE boy's book of 

If you want motives, for trying to subdue this evil 
tendency of your nature, you will find plenty of them 
in the Bible, especially in the teachings of the 
Saviour. He left no place for revenge, in the hearts 
of his followers. His rule is, " Love your enemies, 
bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate 
you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and 
persecute you ; " and his whole life on earth was con- 
formed to this beautiful pattern. The gospel is full 
of this spirit of forgiveness. 

But there are two or three motives for repressing 
revenge, drawn from experience, to which I will 
allude. And, in the first place, what good does it 
do to revenge an injury ? It certainly does not ben- 
fit the person upon whom it is inflicted, for it is 
designed to have just the opposite effect. But, you 
say, revenge is sweet — there is an inward satisfac- 
tion in taking vengeance upon one who has angered 
you. I admit there is a kind of wicked pleasure in 
it ; but how often is this sweetness like that of certain 
poisons, which are pleasant in the mouth, but speedily 
turn to bitterness and death in the stomach. Many 
a man has blasted his happiness forever, by one mad 
act of revenge ; and it may safely be said that no one 
can really enjoy life who harbors a revengeful spirit. 

There is another thing to be noticed ; revenge does 
not diminish the number of offences between man and 
man. Suppose we all should throw the Bible away, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 165 

and act on the principle of revenging every affront or 
injury we received ; do you think society would be in 
a better and happier state than it is now ? The 
experiment has often been tried, in different ages and 
countries, but always with terrible results. It was 
once tried on a small scale in a certain district in 
Kentucky. About the year 1822, a quarrel arose 
between two families, which, aggravated by acts of 
retaliation, settled down into a deadly feud. Clans 
were formed, and a regular war was carried on 
between the two parties for over thirty years. It was 
an endless series of acts of revenge, first by one clan, 
and then by the other. At length the parties signed 
a formal treaty of peace ; and it was then stated, that 
by the various battles, assassinations and sieges be- 
tween these two families, eight men and boys had 
been killed, several crippled, and forty-eight children 
left fatherless. 

Revenge is cruel and blind. It often fails to 
distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, and 
between great and small offences. Its severest blows 
frequently fall where they are least deserved. This 
is sufficient reason for abstaining from revenge, were 
there no other objection to it. 

We should try to check the first risings of revenge 

in our hearts. The longer we brood over our injuries, 

and nurse our anger, the more likely shall we be to 

be tempted to retaliate. A man who was executed 

15 



166 THE boy's book of 

for murder at Mobile, a year or two since, concluded 
his confession with the following solemn warning to 
the tempted : — 

" The first thought of crime, if not resisted, may 
lead to the destruction of body and soul. I can 
scarcely realize now that I have committed anything 
so awful as to stain my hands in my brother's blood. 
Satan seems, when I first yielded to the thought, to 
have bound me with chains, and blunted my feelings, 
and blinded my eyes ; so that, although I tried again 
and again to get loose, I was dragged to the commis- 
sion of my foul offence." 

Ah, it is " the first thought of crime " that is the 
parent of all the sad consequences that follow. 

" Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those 
that trespass against us." This is a portion of the 
beautiful prayer which Christ has taught us ; but how 
can we offer it, if we harbor thoughts of revenge 
against any human being? Is it not shocking to 
think that many cannot repeat the Lord's Prayer, 
without calling down a curse upon their heads ! My 
young reader, I trust you are not of this number ; 
but if you are ever tempted to take vengeance into 
your own hand, remember, I pray you, that petition, 
"forgive us as we forgive others." 

Wouldst thou, when thy faults are known, 
Wish that pardon should be shown ? 
Be forgiving, then, and do 
As thou wouldst be done unto." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 167 



XXXVIII. 

SELF-RELIANCE. 

Looking at mankind from a particular point of 
views we see two classes of people in the world, those 
who walk on their own legs, and those who contrive 
to get about on the shoulders of others. This, of 
course, is a figurative expression, but you will readily 
understand the idea conveyed. The two classes are, 
those who depend upon themselves, and those who 
depend upon others. 

These two classes are found among ooys, as well 
as among men. Some lads, when they have an 
unusual or difficult duty to perform, take hold of it 
as if they meant to accomplish it by their own efforts. 
They evidently feel some confidence in themselves, 
and have no idea of using other people's minds, arms 
or legs, when their own will answer just as well. If 
they have a knotty question in arithmetic to work 
out, they do not ask anybody to show them how to 
do it, before they have tried themselves. If they 
have a hard piece of work to do, they do not go about, 
whining, " I can't do it, it's of no use to try ; " but 



168 THE boy's book of 

they take hold of the task in a resolute, hopeful 
manner, and the difficulties soon vanish. 

But there is another class of boys, who are the 
opposite of all this. A little difficulty in the way, 
will frighten them from any thing they undertake to 
do. Like the locomotive, they cannot go ahead, 
unless the track is laid out smooth and plain before 
them, and every obstacle removed from their path. 
" Can't" is a word always at their tongue's end. 
They are famous, not for what they can do, but for 
what they cannot do. 

I need not inform you from which of these classes 
of boys spring our ingenious inventors, our successful 
farmers, mechanics and merchants, our daring sailors, 
our devoted and useful clergymen, our learned law- 
yers and judges, our skilful physicians, our accom- 
plished teachers, our eminent writers and orators, 
and all our other successful and useful men. Such 
men are not dropped down into their eminent positions 
by a good fortune that favors the lazy ; nor are they 
carried up to the heights they attain upon the shoul- 
ders of others. No, they are men who are not afraid 
of difficulties, and who learned in boyhood to depend 
upon themselves. 

A teacher, when asked his opinion of a certain 
school book, replied, 

' ' I consider it a great nuisance for classes, it saves 
them such a deal of hard work." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 169 

He was right, for it is very rare that a scholar can 
master any branch of learning without c * hard work ;" 
and if his teacher or text book undertakes to do this 
work for him, he will derive very little benefit from 
his studies. A man with a perfectly sound body, 
might walk upon crutches until he lost the use of his 
own limbs. The student who is helped through all 
his difiiculties, will at length find himself in a some- 
what similar predicament. 

It is a fact that has been often remarked upon, that 
the great majority of the foremost men in all the 
ranks and professions of life, were once poor boys. 
You have the explanation of this interesting fact, in 
the habit which I am trying to illustrate. The sons 
of the rich are too apt to rely upon the wealth and 
position of their parents, instead of their own strength 
of mind and body. In many cases, too, they have 
servants at their command, on whose hands and feet 
they depend more than upon their own. The conse- 
quence is, they lean upon these supports so long, that 
after a while they are scarcely able to stand alone, 
much less to bear away any prize in the great contest 
of life. On the other hand, the boy who has none of 
these mischievous props and crutches, soon learns to 
trust to his own powers, which grow as they are 
exercised, until he reaches the full strength of perfect 
manhood. 

There is a Latin proverb, which means, " He who 
15* 



170 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

thinks he can, can" This will generally hold true. 
Can and can't are most potent words. Speak the 
one, and difficulties vanish like morning mist at the 
approach of the hot sun ; but whisper the other, and 
the same mist is converted into a solid and impene- 
trable mountain, frowning in your pathway, and 
discouraging you from all effort. Can is the magic 
"open sesame," by which the wise man gains 
admittance at whatsoever door he chooses to apply. 
Can't is the bewitched key, by which the irresolute 
lock themselves out from all that is valuable and 
noble. 

My young friend, you have a talent, perhaps three, 
five or ten talents, but certainly one. Supposing 
God has committed but one to your care, what are you 
going to do with it ? Will you do as did the man in 
the parable, who buried his talent, and when he was 
called to account, said he " was afraid," — that is, 
had no confidence in his own ability to improve or 
even to keep good the gift God had bestowed upon 
him? 0, think again, before you take such a foolish 
and guilty step. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



171 




XXXIX. 

DANGEROUS SPORTS. 

Most of you, my young friends, devote a consid- 
erable portion of your time to amusements. Your 
daily sports form a very important part of your life. 
This is right. God intended it should be so. But 
the poet Cowper has said of the boy, 



u E'en in his pastimes lie requires a friend, 
To warn, and teach him safely to unbend ; 
O'er all his pleasures gently to preside, 
Watch his emotions and control their tide ; 
And levying thus, and with an easy sway, 
A tax of profit from his very play, 
T' impress a value, not to be erased, 
On moments squandered else, or running all to waste." 



172 THE boy's book of 

Now I cannot undertake to do all this for you ; 
but if you will give me your attention, I will endeav- 
or to offer you a few hints in relation to your sports, 
that may be of some value to you. 

And in the first place, I want to caution you 
against all fool-hardy and dangerous sports. There 
is not such a scarcity of safe amusements, that a boy 
need risk his limbs or his life, to find enjoyment. 
There are a plenty of ways in which recreation may 
be found, without exposing either soul or body to 
danger. But there are many lads who seem to have 
a special fondness for rash, reckless and fool-hardy 
sports ; and the consequence is, we can hardly take 
up a newspaper, without finding in it an account of 
serious and often fatal accidents to boys. 

A few weeks since, a boy of this spirit, about 
fourteen years old, who was attending school in a 
village in New York, thought he would see how 
closely he could jump before a locomotive at full 
speed, and escape. Death was the penalty of his 
rashness. Boys residing near the railroads are often 
in the habit of getting on the cars, when arriving at 
or departing from the depot, for the sake of a short 
ride ; and many is the limb that has been cruelly 
crushed, and many the young form that has been 
ground lifeless under the ponderous wheels, in this 
way. 

I have already alluded, in these pages, to the dan- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 173 

gerous practice of gunning. What a multitude of 
boys are every year killed, or maimed and disfigured 
for life, by the careless use of firearms ! Take this 
advice, my young friends, and you will never regret 
it : — Have nothing to do with powder ! 

Sailing, bathing and skating are all excellent 
amusements, when they can be safely indulged in ; 
but under certain circumstances, which I need not 
explain, they are dangerous, and occasion a sad loss 
of life, every season. The young should never 
indulge in sports of this kind, without the knowledge 
and consent of their parents or guardians. 

A bright and promising boy got into a habit of 
sliding down the banisters, when he had occasion to 
go down stairs. One day, while the family were 
stopping at a large hotel, during a temporary absence 
from home, this lad undertook to practice his danger- 
ous feat ; but losing his balance, he fell through three 
stories of the building, and his head was literally 
dashed to pieces upon the marble floor below. Prob- 
ably he had been often warned of the danger of this 
amusement, but he did not give heed. 

Some boys are addicted to the foolish practices of 
standing on the head, turning somersets, &c. I have 
known sudden death to result from both of these 
practices, and it ought to be generally understood by 
the young that they are injurious and dangerous. 

But I cannot specify all the forms of dangerous 



174 THE boy's book of 

sport to which boys are more or less addicted. I 
have mentioned some of the most common kinds, and 
must leave you to fill up the catalogue, each for him- 
self. Do not say you are not afraid — you can take 
care of yourself, &c. Every reckless boy who ever 
sacrificed his life to his folly, has said and thought 
the same thing. It is not a mark of wisdom to 
despise danger. 

But you say you like to see a boy manifest a bold 
and daring spirit. So do I, when there is a proper 
occasion for it. If you want to show your bravery, 
do it by daring to do right, when a cowardly boy 
would be sure to do wrong. Dare to confess a fault, 
even at the risk of punishment. Dare to refuse, 
when others would tempt you to sin. Dare to take 
the side of the weak and oppressed, even against the 
popular current. Dare to let your comrades know 
that your conduct is governed by fixed principles, and 
that you are afraid to do wrong. This is the noblest 
kind of daring. And should you ever be placed in 
circumstances that admitted of your risking health or 
life in a really good cause, then, too, you may show 
your daring in another form. To face danger and 
death, in behalf of another, is noble ; but to run this 
risk in sport, is the worst kind of foolhardiness. 
The one is true courage ; the other is courage without 
sense or judgment. 

Here, then, in a line, is the lesson of this chapter : 
Life is too precious a gift to be thrown mvay in fun. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 175 



XL. 

ROUGH PLAY. 

I have mentioned several kinds of boyish sports 
that are attended with danger to those who indulge in 
them. But there is another kind of dangerous sports to 
which I must allude ; sports that may result in harm 
to others, though not to yourself. They may be 
classed under the head of " rough play." 

Many large boys seem to he really anxious to gain 
a reputation for rude and rough manners. They 
imagine they shall in this way impress the girls and 
younger boys of their acquaintance, with a vivid 
sense of their boldness, independence and superior- 
ity. Those who play with them are sure to be 
frequently reminded of the strength of their arms 
and legs, the solidity of their fists, and the hardness 
of their hearts. They go in for " rough and tumble " 
sports, and in their intercourse with small children 
act the part of the elephant in the story, who danced 
among the chickens. The consequence is, they are 
first feared, then shunned, and then hated, by the 
victims of their roughness. 



176 THE boy's book of 

A boy of this stamp was once at play around a 
school-house, where there were many children assem- 
bled, when he chanced to notice a smaller lad, seated 
upon the top of a high fence. Approaching him, he 
suddenly seized him by the leg, and pushed him off. 
The little boy fell heavily upon a brick pavement, 
with a scream which brought several of his young 
companions to his aid. They gently lifted him up. 
One of his arms swuDg strangely, as they raised him, 
and he could not bear to have them touch it. It was 
broken ; and many were the weary days of pain and 
confinement that little boy had to pass through, in 
consequence of that one act of a rough and thought- 
less boy. 

One summer day, a party of boys in a country vil- 
lage went to bathe in the river. While one of them 
was floating upon his back, on top of the water, 
another lad, in the spirit of fun, jumped upon him. 
The shock so affected the floating boy, that his com- 
rades were obliged to go his relief. As soon as 
they removed him from the water, he commenced 
vomiting; and the next day he was a corpse. 
Had the boy who inflicted this fatal injury upon his 
mate, been taught to avoid rough sports, he would 
have escaped the life-long pang which those must 
endure who heedlessly take the life of another. 

Several boys and girls were one day going home 
from the village school, when they discovered a small 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 177 

snake by the road-side. The boys quickly killed the 
reptile, and one of them tried to frighten a little girl 
by putting it upon her. The girl struggled, but was 
rudely pushed down and the snake placed upon her 
shrinking flesh. She ran home, in her fright, com- 
plained of a violent headache, was thrown into con- 
vulsions, and became delirious. She lingered several 
days in great suffering, and then death came to her 
relief. 

These instances will show you what I mean by 
rough sports. There are many other forms in which 
this spirit is manifested by boys, but I have not room 
to mention them, nor is it necessary that I should. 
Whenever you inflict pain or. inconvenience upon 
others, or disregard their rights and feelings, or 
expose them to unnecessary danger, in your sports, 
you exhibit this spirit. I need not try to prove to 
you that this is mean and unmanly. You know it, 
already. It is bad enough to expose ourselves to 
danger, by our rough and careless habits ; but it is 
still worse to make others suffer in consequence of 
them. 

No sensible or well-bred boy will covet the distinc- 
tion of being " as rough as a bear." This is a qual- 
ity that well becomes a savage beast, but it is entirely 
out of place in a rational being. Strive rather, my 
young friends, to cultivate the spirit of gentleness and 
courtesy. Gentleness is the foundation of true polite- 
16 



178 THE boy's book of 

ness and good breeding. It is also one of " the fruits 
of the Spirit." " Be gentle unto all men; " "be 
blameless and harmless;" "be ye kind one to 
another;" "follow after the things that make for 
peace." This is the spirit of the gospel. Let it gov- 
ern all your intercourse with others, and control even 
your sports and amusements. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 179 



XLI. 

MIS CHIE VOUSNE SS. 

I have alluded to some of the sports of boyhood, 
and advised you to avoid those plays and habits that 
are rough and dangerous. There is another kind of 
amusement sometimes indulged in by boys, which I 
desire to warn you against. It goes by various 
names. A successful effort in this line you will often 
hear called " a practical joke, "or "a cute trick. " 
The more proper name, however, is mischievous- 
ness. But see that you do not mistake the meaning 
of this word. It does not mean a cunning but well- 
meant and harmless kind of sport. It implies an 
evil intention ; a " disposition to do harm, or to vex 
or annoy," as the dictionary explains it. 

Do you think it can ever be right to harm, vex or 
annoy others, in sport ? Is it manly and generous to 
do it ? Do you like to have others serve you in this 
way ? If you cannot say yes to these questions, (and 
I do not think any of you can,) then it is evident 
that mischievousness is a bad habit Some boys have 



180 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

naturally a roguish disposition, or a strong propensity 
to mirthfulness and fun. This propensity may be 
innocently indulged within proper limits ; but those 
in whom it is strongly developed, should be careful 
that their capital jokes, their funny tricks, and 
their witty remarks, do not harm or annoy those who 
are the subjects of them. So long as both parties 
enjoy the sport, it is well ; but when the enjoyment is 
all on one side, it has gone too far, and should be 
stopped at once. 

Some mischievous boys found a horse feeding in 
the highway, one evening. They thought they would 
have some sport with him, and so they drove him into 
an empty freight car that stood upon the railroad 
track, and fastened him in. The next morning the 
car was hitched to a train, and the horse was carried 
thirty miles from his home, before he was discovered. 
The boys probably thought it was a fine joke ; but 
it was altogether too dearly bought, for it cost the 
owner of the horse a day's anxiety and trouble. 

I once heard of a boy who was employed in a shop, 
and who, being lazy as well as mischievous, used fre- 
quently to steal away to the scuttle, on the roof of the 
building, and with a piece of looking-glass, flash the 
sun into the faces of persons at work in neighboring 
shops. The neighbors at length complained to the 
boy's master, and he desired them to inform him the 
next time they saw him practising his trick. They 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 181 

did so ; and the master, having caught his boy in the 
act, made him descend to the attic, where he played 
a " practical joke " upon him with the aid of a rope's 
end, which, it must be confessed, the young rogue 
richly deserved. It is a pity that all who amuse 
themselves by annoying others cannot be as summa- 
rily punished. 

A mischievous disposition sometimes leads to very 
serious consequences. Several boys were once play- 
ing in a boat that was moored near a beach. In a sud- 
den freak of mischief, they loosed the boat from her 
moorings, and pushed her off, with one of their mates 
on board — a lad of twelve, named Barney. The 
current immediately carried the boat away, towards 
the sea ; and the boys, alarmed at the mischief they 
had done, ran away, and informed no one of the dan- 
gerous situation of their mate. Poor Barney soon 
drifted out, far away from land, and for three days 
and three nights he floated about, without seeing any 
vessel. There was a little bread in the boat, but his 
mouth was so parched with thirst, that he could not 
swallow it. At length, just as he was ready to per- 
ish, the captain of a steamer, four or five miles off, 
discovered his little boat, and went to his relief. He 
was conveyed in safety to his home, after suffering more 
than the horrors of death ; and thus ended what was 
designed to be a little bit of fun. 

Not long ago, some boys in Mississippi played a 

i6* 



182 THE boy's book op 

practical joke upon a dog, by tying some fire-crackers 
to his tail, and then touching them off. The poor 
dog, in his fright, ran into a cotton-shed, and set fire 
to the cotton, which resulted in the destruction of 
two hundred thousand dollars' worth of property. 
That was costly sport, indeed. 

My young friends, do not amuse yourselves at the 
expense of another, even of a dumb beast. It may 
cost more than you intend, either in money or in suf- 
fering. But if no such evil should result, it is wrong 
to indulge such a propensity, and that, I hope, will 
be a sufficient reason to deter you from it. The 
Bible tells us, " It is as sport to a fool to do mischief." 
If you do not wish to be rated in that class, you must 
keep out of mischief. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



183 




XLII. 



HOME. 



You are all aware, my young friends, that we are 
inclined to think too much of the temporal blessings 
we enjoy ; but there is one temporal gift God has 
bestowed upon most of you, which you are in no dan- 
ger of valuing too highly. This gift is a good home. 
The danger is, not that you will think too much, but 
too little, of this inestimable blessing. A love of 
home is a beautiful trait in a boy, and it is a pretty 
sure evidence that he will not make a bad man. 
There are many boys, however, who appear to be quite 
destitute of this attachment. They scarcely enter 



184 the boy's book of 

their teens, before they manifest an impatience to get 
away from home. They seem to think that home is 
a very good place for girls and small children, but 
that a boy who " means to be anything," must escape 
from its restraints and influences as soon as he can. 
Home, in their opinion, is a good harbor to make in 
distress, and a good place for little boats to sail ; but 
they want to launch out upon the great ocean, where 
there is plenty of room to cruise about, and nobody 
to interfere with their plans. 

About twenty years ago, there lived in a village in 
Maine a boy of twelve years, who entertained such 
notions as these. He was tired of living at home, 
and thought it would be a fine thing to be indepen- 
dent of his parents. After awhile, he succeeded in 
getting away from home — whether with his parents' 
consent, or not, I do not know. Though but a doz- 
en years old, he entered the United States navy, and 
served three years. He then entered the merchant 
service, and continued to be a sailor, most of the time, 
during the remainder of his life. But at an early 
age he fell in with bad companions ; and having no 
well-established principles, he yielded to temptation, 
and entered upon a life of sin and crime, which was 
a few months since brought to an abrupt and terrible 
end upon the gallows, in this State. This unhappy 
individual, whose name was C lough, told one who 
visited him the day before he was hung, that if he 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 185 

had not left home so early, he would never have been 
a criminal. 

God was as wise as he was good, in establishing 
the family relation, and thus providing a home or 
shelter, in which the young may be reared, secure 
from evil influences. Men have tried the experiment 
of educating their children in one common herd, but 
never with success. The Spartans, a rude people 
who lived several hundred years befere the birth of 
Christ, had all their boys brought up together, after 
they were seven years old. They were regarded as 
the property of the State, and after they had reached 
that age, they were almost wholly removed from 
parental influence. The effect of this unnatural 
arrangement, even on a pagan people, was decidedly 
bad. But in a Christian land, home influences are 
far more precious than they can be in heathen coun- 
tries. The Spartan boy could do better without his 
home than the American boy can do without his. 
The sweet domestic influences and gentle restraints 
of a Christian home, are just what the young need, 
to fit them for the duties of life. These are the 
strongest safeguard of youthful virtue ; and to be 
impatient of them in early youth, is almost always a 
bad sign. 

When a man is about to build a ship, he puts 
together the frame upon the shore, and not on the 
ocean. He does not launch it upon the waves, before 



186 THE boy's book of 

it is half completed, in his hurry to see it afloat ; but 
he patiently puts all its parts together, and does not 
send it to sea until it is strong and complete, and 
able to battle with the winds and waves. A boy at 
home may be compared to a new ship on the stocks. 
He is forming a character, and preparing to launch 
out upon the tide of life. He is putting into the 
frame-work of that character either timbers, and 
braces, and bolts, that shall resist the strongest 
assaults of temptation, or poor and weak substitutes, 
which the first rough encounter will dash to pieces. 
If he does his work faithfully, and does not launch 
his bark too soon, he will remember with peculiar 
satisfaction, as long as he lives, the twelve, fourteen 
or sixteen years he spent " on the stocks." 

Is there a youth among my readers who is getting 
tired of his home, and longing to go out from its 
roof, and become his own master ? Nay, my young 
friend, think not lightly of that hallowed place. 
Love it and prize it, for the go6d it has done and may 
do you. Make the most of its privileges and benefits, 
while you are of an age to enjoy them. Above all, 
strive to contribute your share to its happiness, by 
your dutiful and exemplary behavior, towards each 
member of the household. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 187 



XLIII. 

ASSOCIATES. 

I lately read a singular story of two little boys, 
who had lost an intimate playmate, by his removal 
from the village, and who in consequence felt quite 
lonesome. There was no other little boy in the 
neighborhood, to supply the place of the missing one, 
and the two that remained tried to think of some 
way to make up for their loss. At length they hit 
upon an idea. They decided that one of them should 
be planted, with his feet projecting out of the ground, 
from which they imagined two new boys would grow, 
and thus their former number be restored. And they 
had actually commenced carrying their novel plan 
into effect, when a gentleman discovered their move- 
ments, and rescued the little fellow who was to be 
planted, from the sand by which he was nearly cov- 
ered, and in which he would have soon perished. 

The feeling which prompted these boys to this 
strange act, is one that God has planted in our hearts 
for a wise end. There is something within us that 



188 THE boy's book of 

craves companionship. We cannot be nappy, without 
associates and friends. No small proportion of the 
punishment of criminals in our prisons, consists in 
their being cut off almost entirely from intercourse 
with others. If you were to be shut up in a room 
by yourself, even for twenty-four hours, without see- 
ing any person, you would think the punishment a 
very severe one; and if it were continued a few 
months, it is very likely that you would become 
insane. 

But while the gift of friends and associates is so 
essential to our happiness, like most of our blessings, 
it may be turned into a curse. Our characters 
depend very much upon the kind of company we 
keep. There is an animal called the chameleon, 
whose hue depends upon the color of the objects by 
which it is surrounded. So do our characters take 
their color, in a measure, from those with whom we 
associate most intimately. If our companions are 
virtuous, their virtues will serve as a strong wall 
around our own. If they are loose and immoral, we 
cannot mingle with them without having our moral 
principles undermined and weakened, to a greater or 
less extent. Many a destiny has been decided for- 
ever by the choice of a friend. 

Two young men, about sixteen years of age, came 
to Boston from a distant town in another State, to 
find employment. One of them was an orphan, and 






MORALS AND MANNERS. 189 

had no friend in the city to whom he could go for 
advice. But he felt the importance of having good 
associates, and immediately after his arrival, he 
sought out a clergyman of whom he had heard, and 
introducing himself, related his history, and expressed 
a wish to place himself under good religious influences. 
The clergyman invited him to join a Bible class, to 
which he assented, and the next Sabbath found him 
a member of the school. In a little while, he began 
to visit his pastor as an inquirer ; and before he had 
been in Boston six months, he made a profession of 
religion and was admitted into the church ; and to 
the day of his death, he lived a blameless and exem- 
plary life, beloved by all who knew him. 

The other youth, on finding himself in a strange 
city, made no effort to place himself among good 
associates. On the other hand, he suffered himself 
to be led away to the theatre, by the first young man 
whose acquaintance he formed. Here he became 
acquainted with other young men, of the same loose 
class, and soon he was a regular theatre-goer. From 
the theatre, the step was easy to the gambling saloon; 
and from gambling to dishonesty his progress was 
equally rapid ; and from dishonesty to ruin and dis- 
grace, was the last sad step in his downhill career. 
Had he but sought out one good friend, on his first 
exposure to the temptations of a city life, how differ- 
ent might have been his history ! 
17 



190 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

A gentleman walking in a western city, had his 
attention attracted by a fine parrot, which talked, 
laughed and whistled in a way that seemed almost 
human. He stopped to admire the bird, and pres- 
ently a dog came along, when the parrot whistled to 
it, and then said, 

"Get out, dog — here, Prince — go away, go 
away — I can talk — give me a cracker." 

A colored man who was passing, now paused to 
listen ; but the parrot no sooner discovered him, than 
he addressed to him a string of low and profane 
expressions, too bad for me to repeat. The gentleman 
soon discovered that it was a very profane bird, 
" swearing like a trooper;" and on inquiry, he 
learned that it had been brought from the Isthmus, 
where its association with a certain class of California 
emigrants had taught it the use of bad language. 

Boys, if associating with men of bad habits could 
thus corrupt an irrational animal what do you think 
the effect of such associations must be upon the ten- 
der and susceptible minds of the young ? Revolve 
this question in your mind ; and as you think it over, 
remember what Solomon has said : 

" He that walketh with wise men, shall be wise ; 
but a companion of fools shall be destroyed." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 191 



XLIV. 

TEMPERANCE. 

Some years ago, but within the recollection of 
many persons now living, a few good men became 
very much alarmed at the fearful progress of intem- 
perance in our country. This evil had been growing 
very rapidly for years, and it had then spread itself 
like a curse over the whole land. There was danger 
of our becoming a nation of drunkards. These men 
began to ask themselves if something could not be 
done, to stay the desolating tide ; and the result of 
their inquiries and counsels was, the formation of 
temperance societies, and the commencement of the 
temperance reformation. At first their efforts were 
mainly directed against the immoderate use of intox- 
icating liquors ; for they supposed that a prudent and 
temperate use of such liquors was proper and neces- 
sary. But they soon discovered that the only safe 
ground to stand upon was this, " total abstinence 
from all intoxicating beverages." They accordingly 
adopted this as their rule, and God has blessed the 



192 THE boy's book of 

movement, so that the curse of intemperance has been 
very much diminished, within forty or fifty years. 

But, though diminished, the curse still rests heav- 
ily upon us, and sweeps thousands of our country-* 
men into the vortex of poverty, crime and death, 
every year. The intoxicating cup is still one of the 
most successful snares by which the tempter decoys 
young men to disgrace and ruin. I must, therefore, 
use my humble influence to put you on your guard 
against this danger. When the temptation is first 
presented to you, at the social party, or the public 
festival, or on the pleasure excursion, or in the hotel, 
or the genteel saloon, it will probably be in a form 
that will seem very harmless. You may not suspect 
there is a serpent in the sparkling cup, and if you 
have not previously resolved that you will not touch 
it, you will be very likely to yield to the solicitations 
of those who present it to your lips. But you may, 
in a great measure, avoid this danger, by preparing 
to meet it now, before it presents itself. Do you ask 
how you can do this ? I answer, by adopting total 
abstinence principles, and firmly resolving to abide 
by them through life. If you do this, you will be 
ready for the temptation when it comes, and will find 
it comparatively easy to decline the first glass ; and 
one victory over the tempter will strengthen you for 
the next, and so on, until you are beyond all danger. 

But the temptation to use intoxicating liquor some- 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 193 

times presents itself to mere boys ; and this makes it 
the more important that they should form right prin- 
ciples very early in life. A lad of fifteen, who had 
always sustained a very good character, and whose 
parents were respectable, one day fell in with a few 
companions, who asked him to drink some strong 
beer. Having never fortified himself against this 
danger, by adopting total abstinence principles, he 
was induced to comply with their invitation. The 
beer partially intoxicated him, and while under its 
influence, he stole some article from a shop. He was 
arrested, pleaded guilty of larceny, and was sen- 
tenced to the Reform School. The temperance 
pledge would have saved him from all this. 

In a village in New Hampshire, a few years ago, 
two boys of fifteen or sixteen years of age, engaged 
to do some work for a trader, one winter day. After 
their day's labor was finished, the trader very impru- 
dently " treated " them to some intoxicating drink, 
of which they partook freely. The proprietor soon 
left the store; and the clerk coming in, and not 
knowing that the boys had drank anything, at their 
solicitation he brought out the bottle again, and they 
each took another heavy dram, and then started for 
home. The next morning two stiffened corpses were 
found in the road. They were the bodies of these 
lads, who, overpowered by the liquor they had drank, 
lay down by the road side, and were frozen to death. 

m 



194 THE boy's book op 

Their bodies were placed in the porch of the village 
church, and upon the lids of their coffins was laid the 
temperance pledge, with pens and ink. Most of 
those who attended the funeral, heeded the solemn 
admonition, and signed the pledge, over the remains 
of these young victims of strong drink. 

After these mournful examples, let me relate the 
happy experience of another lad, who had the wis- 
dom to avoid their errors. His name was Amos, and 
he was a clerk in a country store. It was the usage 
to " treat " customers after they had traded, in those 
days, the clerks preparing the various mixtures, and 
drinking with them. Amos conformed to this cus- 
tom for a while ; but he soon noticed that his em- 
ployer generally showed before night that he had 
gone too far, and that the older clerks were fast fol- 
lowing in his footsteps. Temperance societies had 
not then been heard of; but Amos soon made up his 
mind what to do. He resolved to take the ground of 
total abstinence, and he did take it, and maintained 
it, in spite of the ridicule of his associates. About 
the same time, he came to a similar decision in regard 
to tobacco, and never used it in any form. This boy 
became one of the most wealthy and eminent mer- 
chants our country has ever produced ; and he was 
not less distinguished for his liberality and his good- 
ness, than for his success in business. His name 
was Amos Lawrence. A few months before his 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 195 

death, in mentioning to a friend that he had never 
used tobacco, he added : — 

" To this abstinence from its use, (and from rum,) 
I owe, under God, my present position in society. 
Further, I have always given the preference, among 
such persons as I have employed for more than forty 
years past, to such as avoided rum and tobacco, — and 
my experience has been to confirm me that it is true 
wisdom to have clone so." 

The man in whose store Mr. Lawrence served as 
clerk, died a bankrupt and a drunkard ; and every 
one of those tippling clerks went down to the drunk- 
ard's grave. How different might have been his 
own career, but for that early resolution of total ab- 
stinence from intoxicating liquors ! 



196 THE boy's book op 



XLV. 

CONSCIENTIOUSNESS. 

You all know that there is a judge who holds a 
daily court in your breast, and passes sentence upon 
your thoughts, words and acts, as fast as you give 
them existence. He has been sitting there, patiently 
investigating your conduct, ever since you were old 
enough to distinguish between right and wrong. 
When you do right, he applauds you, in a way most 
grateful to your feelings. When you do wrong, he 
gently but firmly remonstrates ; for he is not a harsh 
and stern judge, and his rebukes savor of sadness, 
rather than severity. If you heed his voice, he will 
ever watch faithfully over you, shielding you from 
sin, and prompting you to duty. If you neglect or 
disobey his friendly admonitions, his voice will gradu- 
ally grow weaker and weaker, until it will seldom be 
heard in the din of the stormy passions that will rage 
in your heart. But if you succeed in silencing him, 
it will only be for a little while. At some future 
time, — it may be in this world, it may be in the 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 197 

next, — he will suddenly rouse himself, and avenge 
most fearfully the wrong you have done him. 

This judge is your conscience, or that faculty 
within you which decides on the lawfulness or unlaw- 
fulness of your actions and affections, and approves 
or condemns them, as the case may be. It is of the 
utmost importance to us, that we preserve this fac- 
ulty uncorrupted, and in all its natural strength. 
Were it suddenly blotted out of existence, this world 
would be transformed into a hell, and men would be 
little better than devils. In vain would God invite, 
and Christ die, and the Spirit plead, if there was no 
conscience within us to answer to their voice. Look 
at the hoary sinner, whose conscience is ' ' seared with 
a hot iron,'' and you have a faint image of what all 
mankind would be, without this faculty. 

If such is the value of conscience, how ought we 
to treat it ? Assuredly we ought to pay a scrupulous 
regard to all its decisions ; and that is what is meant 
by conscientiousness, the word I have used as the title 
of this chapter. 

You will often be tempted to disregard the voice of 
conscience in small matters ; and the tempter will 
plead earnestly that so trifling a violation of its com- 
mands cannot be of much consequence. But do not 
listen to such a plea. A departure from the path of 
right generally commences in a very small way. A 
little breach in the wall of your good resolution, 



198 THE boy's book of 

though not larger than a pin-hole, will allow the floods 
of sin to penetrate, and their pressure will easily wear 
a larger channel, and perhaps finally sweep your 
breast-work entirely away. No, if conscience says a 
thing is wrong, respect its verdict, and let that be 
the end of the matter. 

Sometimes you will be inclined to do things that 
are of doubtful character. Conscience, not having 
been fully enlightened, or perhaps weakened by the 
neglect and resistance it has met with, will hesitate, 
and doubt, instead of giving you a plain decision. In 
such a case, a conscientious person will abstain from 
the action ; and then, if he errs at all, it will be on 
the safe side. 

I know of no more beautiful and lovely character, 
than that of a conscientious youth, who always does 
what he believes to be right, and is not ashamed to 
have the world know he is afraid to do wrong. Even 
the wicked must secretly honor and admire such a 
character, though they may affect to laugh at the 
conscientious scruples by which it is governed. 

But it is very different with the youth who stretches 
his conscience, as though it were a thing of India- 
rubber; who, it may be, is careful to fulfil the 
weightier matters of the law, but is not particular 
about what he considers little things ; who is afraid 
his associates will pronounce him too rigid in his 
virtue, or "more nice than wise," as the phrase 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 199 

goes. Such a youth stands on dangerous ground, 
and no wonder if his feet slip from under him. 

Let me urge you, then, in the language of Dr. 
Wayland, to "make it a settled rule, always to do 
what your conscience directs, and to leave undone 
what it forbids. No matter whether it be an action, 
word, or thought, in public or in private, no matter 
how much you may suffer in consequence of it, always 
do what you believe to be right. There can no evil 
happen to you, so great as to do wrong ; and you 
can gain no good so great, as that which arises from 
doing right. No matter who is for you, or who 
against you ; always obey God in preference to every 
thing else." 



200 the boy's book of 



XLVI. 

PUNCTUALITY. 

It is related of Lord Nelson, that on a certain 
occasion, when about to depart on one of his great 
expeditions, he ordered his carriage to be in readi- 
ness, and was assured by the coachman that it should 
be punctually at the door, at six o'clock. 

" A quarter before," said Nelson to him ; " I have 
always been a quarter of an hour before my time, 
and it has made a man of me." 

I will not say that it is best for a man always to be 
fifteen minutes in advance of his appointments — 
such a rule might often involve a loss of time ; but 
the prompt and punctual spirit of Nelson is worthy of 
being imitated by the young. Many a man owes his 
success in life to a habit of keeping his engagements 
with strict punctuality, and attending to every duty 
in its time. On the other hand, many a fortune has 
been lost, many a fine chance has slipped by, and 
many a prize has been thrown away, by being a little 
too late. 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 



201 




Look at that laggard and sluggardly boy, who is 
never on hand when he ought to be, and upon whose 
dilatory movements no calculation can be made. He 
is tardy at school, and dilatory in going home. If he 
agrees to meet a comrade, or to perform an act, he is 
sure to be a little behind the time. One o'clock, 
with him, means any time between one and two — 
and so on through the twelve hours. Times and sea- 
sons are of no sort of importance to him. He will 
promise anything you wish, and perform — when he 
pleases. 

Do you know such a boy ? What do you think of 
him? Ah, I know what you will say. You are 
18 



202 the boy's book of 

often annoyed and provoked by his dilatory habits. 
He has broken his words with you so often, that you 
never expect him to keep his promises. He is dis- 
liked and shunned by his young associates, and is a 
constant source of trouble and complaint to his 
parents and teacher. One thing is very cer- 
tain, a boy who is always last, everywhere, will 
never be the first in any position of credit and use- 
fulness. Punctuality might " make a man" of him, 
as it did of Nelson ; but without it he will never be 
anything but a full-grown laggard, always a little too 
late for fortune's favors, and forever missing the 
golden opportunities which the prompt and watchful 
know how to improve. 

Thus, you see, a dilatory man injures not only 
others, but himself. When he keeps others waiting 
for him, he robs them of so much precious time ; but 
this is not all. He forfeits the confidence of his 
friends, provokes them to impatient and perhaps ill- 
natured comments, and at length his word is regarded 
by them as of no account whatever. And the conse- 
quences of his evil habit do not stop even here ; for 
the man who is habitually a little too late, subjects 
himself to great inconvenience and many losses. 

It is well known that Washington was a model of 
punctuality. When he had an appointment to keep, 
he was sure to be on hand at the precise moment 
agreed upon; and those who had intercourse with 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 203 

him, were obliged to be punctual. "When he invited 
guests to dine with him, if they were not there at the 
hour named, he did not wait for them ; and if they 
came in when dinner was half over, as was sometimes 
the case, his only apology would be, 

" Gentlemen, we are punctual here. My cook 
never asks whether the company has arrived, but 
whether the hour has come." 

The same great man was at one time annoyed by 
the conduct of his private secretary, who was repeat- 
edly late in his attendance. The latter laid the blame 
to his watch ; but Washington replied, 

" You must either get another watch, or I another 
secretary." 

The habit of punctuality may easily be acquired in 
early life ; and though it may seem to be of little 
importance, in boyhood, its value will become more 
and more apparent, as you become older, until at 
length you may be able to say, with Nelson, 

" It has made a man of me." 



204 THE boy's book of 



XLVII. 

SELFISHNESS. 

This, my young friends, is a trait of character that 
you all condemn and despise — in others. Though a 
common fault, it is a most unpopular one. We all 
like generous-hearted people, and are provoked and 
disgusted with selfishness, wherever we find it — 
except in our own hearts ; as though nobody but our- 
selves had a right to be selfish ! Now if we could 
only carry our dislike one degree farther, and learn 
to despise the selfishness of our own hearts, we should 
be much more consistent, and much more noble. 

Selfishness is bad enough, under any circumstances ; 
but to my mind, it is much worse in the young than 
in those of more mature years. The selfish man may 
owe his fault in part to the unkind treatment he has 
received. His generous affections may have been 
soured by a bitter experience of the world. Instead 
of friendly aid, he may have received only hard 
knocks, and even those who professed to love him, 
may have proved selfish and treacherous. For such 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 205 

a man's selfishness we must feel some charity. But 
when this ugly trait appears full-blown in the young, 
no such excuse can be offered. It is, on the contrary, 
doubly hateful. 

Look at Tom Greedy, the selfish boy. His motto 
is, " Take care of No. 1," and he sticks to it, every 
where and at all times. His conduct is a constant 
repetition of the old rhyme, 

" Of all my father's family, 
I love myself the best ; 
May I but be provided for, 
I care not for the rest." 

He acts as though he thought all the world was 
made for himself. His little I is larger than a thous- 
and yours and theys. He is continually alarmed lest 
somebody should enjoy something that belongs to him. 
" Don't touch that — that's mine ! " is his language, 
when you approach anything that he can possibly lay 
claim to. You need not try to borrow any of his 
books or playthings, for he does not lend them. 
Nobody ever knows any thing of the little delicacies 
that fortune occasionally drops into his cup, for they 
are always consumed in secret. If he is unwilling to 
share his good things with others, still less is he inclined 
to put himself out for the benefit of any one else. He 
is not the boy to yield even the most trifling point, for 
the sake of peace, or to prevent unhappiness ; and as 
18* 



206 THE boy's book of 

to sacrificing his own comfort or feelings for the sake 
of other people, he will tell you he is not so great a 
fool as that, not he. Such is Tom Greedy; do any 
of you recognize the portrait ? 

Boys of the Tom Greedy order never have many 
friends. They may wonder why nobody likes them, 
but there is no mystery about it, except to them- 
selves. We cannot love those in whom selfishness 
is a very conspicuous trait. God has so constituted 
us, that just in proportion as a man loves himself too 
well, he loses the love of others ; and on the other 
hand, in proportion as he loves others, he is loved 
himself. Have any of you reason to suspect that you 
are not so generally and warmly loved by your asso- 
ciates as some other boys of your acquaintance ? If 
so, may it not be that the fault is in yourself? 

Selfishness is not only a very odious thing, in the 
sight of men, but it is a great sin, in the sight of God. 
One of the apostles says we ought not to please our- 
selves, but the strong should bear the infirmities of 
the weak. The Saviour, though he was rich, became 
poor for our sakes, thus exhibiting before the universe 
an example of generosity and benevolence, such prob- 
ably as was never before witnessed. In his parable 
of the good Samaritan, he contrasts selfishness with 
generosity, and beautifully inculcates the duty of lov- 
ing others as ourselves. Indeed, he tells us that the 
whole duty of man is embraced in these two things — 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 207 

loving God with all the heart, and loving our neigh- 
bors as ourselves. 

Sir Walter Scott says that the race of mankind 
would perish, did they cease to aid each other. From 
the time that the mother binds the child's head, till 
the moment that some kind assistant wipes the death- 
damp from the brow of the dying, we cannot exist 
without mutual help. All, therefore, who need aid 
have a right to ask it of their fellow-mortals ; and no 
one who holds the power of granting, can refuse it 
without guilt. 

How beautiful, how noble, is a generous disposi- 
tion ! The man who has a great, unselfish heart, will 
never be much troubled with enemies. You cannot 
dislike him if you would. Enlarge your hearts, then, 
my young friends, until they shall embrace all who 
move within the circle of your acquaintance. Show 
a regard for others, and a host of warm friends will 
insensibly be drawn around you. Be generous, and 
you cannot but be beloved. 



208 the boy's book of 



XLVIII. 

KINDNESS. 

Sometimes, my young readers, you meet with peo- 
ple whom you instinctively love at first sight. Per- 
haps it might not be easy to tell precisely why you 
like them ; but I suppose one reason is, that their 
pleasant countenances are faithful reflections of kind 
and good-natured hearts. If this spirit of kindness 
dwelt in every heart, what a happy world we should 
have ! How it would soften the trials and sweeten 
the bitterness of life ! 

" Be kindly afTectioned one to another, with broth- 
erly love," says the apostle Paul. Again he says, in 
another epistle, " Be ye kind, one to another, tender- 
hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for 
Christ's sake hath forgiven you." This is the spirit 
of the gospel, and the spirit of heaven itself. It is 
well worth striving after, and none of us are too 
young or too old to set about attaining it. 

Many of you have brothers, or sisters, or both, and, 
probably you are sometimes tempted to treat them 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 209 

unkindly. Perhaps you are older than they, and 
regard their wishes and happiness as of much less 
consequence than your own. This is wrong. It is 
not treating them kindly, and " with brotherly love ;" 
and by persisting in this course, you will ultimately 
weaken, or entirely lose, their affection. 

The boy who is uniformly kind to his brothers and 
sisters, and who regards their happiness as of no less 
importance than his own — he is the boy that is 
beloved in the family. Such a boy once died ; and 
as his body lay in a darkened room, awaiting burial, 
his little sister stole up by his side, and taking his 
cold hand in hers, caressed it, and sobbed, 

" Mother, this little hand never struck me ! " 

My young reader, could your brother or sister pay 
such a beautiful tribute to your memory, should you 
suddenly be cut down ? Or should you be called to 
look upon their cold forms, for the last time, would 
no remembered act of unkindness reproach your ach- 
ing heart, and add remorse to your grief? These are 
questions that you would do well to ponder, for there 
is no charmed key that can lock out death from your 
home. 

Be kind, also, to your associates. Let the golden 
rule be your guide, and treat them as you wish to be 
treated. By a little effort, you may soon acquire a 
habit of speaking and acting kindly, if you have not 
already done so. You will thus make many, and 



210 THE BOY'S BOOK OF 

warm friends, and will add to your own happiness, 
not less than to theirs. A cross, selfish, unaccommo- 
dating and self-willed boy, is truly an object of pity. 
His presence is disagreeable to others, and he is a 
torment to himself. As he grows older, his counte- 
nance will settle into a permanent scowl, and he will 
at length become one of those sour and crabbed old 
men we sometimes see, who have a frown for every- 
body, and whose presence carries with itself a chill 
like that of an iceberg. How different from this is 
the sunny and joy-beaming face of the kind-hearted 
and good-natured boy ! 

It is comparatively easy to be kind to one's friends ; 
but the Bible requires us to go still farther than this, 
and to show kindness to our enemies. Its language 
is, " Love your enemies, do good to them which hate 
you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them 
which despitefully use you. 5 ' Among the laws which 
God gave to the Israelites, through Moses, were the 
two following: — " If thou meet thine enemy's ox or 
his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back 
to him again. If thou see the ass of him that hateth 
thee lying under his burden, and wouldst forbear to 
help him, thou shalt surely help with him." We 
must not rejoice over the misfortunes of an enemy, 
even though he hate us; but, on the contrary, we 
are bound to treat him kindly, and to offer him our 
sympathy and assistance. It is a hard duty, in many 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 211 

cases, but after all, there is no way in which we may 
so effectually " heap coals of fire " on the head of an 
enemy, as by treating him kindly. 

Let me also urge you to be kind to the neglected 
and unfortunate. They can doubly appreciate your 
smiles and pleasant words, and your reward will be 
accordingly. Do not add to their unhappiness by 
your unkindness — it is the mark of a mean nature 
to do this. Kind words and looks are cheap, but who 
can tell how precious they are to the heart yearning 
for sympathy and love ! 

" A little word, in kindness spoken, 
A motion, or a tear, 
Has often healed the heart that's broken, 
And made a friend sincere. 

A word, a look, has crashed to earth 

Full many a budding flower ; 
Which, had a smile but owned its birth, 

Would bless the darkest hour. 

Then deem it not an idle thing, 

A pleasant word to speak ; 
The face you wear, the thoughts you bring, 

A heart may heal or break." 

How easy it is to do good ! Let us cherish these 
kindly feelings in our hearts, and we shall not live in 
vain, even though our lot be humble, and our life 
short. 



212 



THE BOY'S BOOK OF 




mv^oOZSL 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 213 



XLIX. 

COURAGE. 

This, my young friends, is a trait much admired 
by boys. They like to read of deeds of bravery and 
heroism ; of soldiers who have covered themselves 
with glory on the field of battle, and of sailors who 
have done wonders upon the ocean. They wish, too, 
to be thought brave themselves ; and to have another 
boy double up his fist at them, and say, " You're a 
coward — you daresn't fight," — that is almost too 
much for boy-nature to endure. 

"Well, there is something generous and noble in 
this love of bravery ; and far be it from me to 
attempt to loosen the hold this sentiment has upon 
any of my readers. Only let me caution you that it 
is the true article you admire and imitate, and not a 
sham. 

There are two kinds of courage — animal and 

moral. The first is the courage of nerve and muscle, 

and is often highly developed in brutes, as well as 

in men. The lion, the bull-dog, the game-cock, and 

19 



214 THE boy's book op 

many other animals, excel men in this trait. The 
courage of the soldier, the prize-fighter, and the high- 
way robber, is of this stamp. It is, of itself, a good 
and desirable quality, though frequently perverted to 
a bad end. We are often placed in circumstances 
where coolness, presence of mind, and physical cour- 
age, are very important. When called to face dan- 
ger or death, or to suffer pain, we do not want to 
play the coward. But, after all, physical courage 
is generally a natural endowment, and its possession 
is no more a mark of real manhood, than is the 
possession of great strength, or a handsome figure. 

Moral courage — the courage of the soul — is a very 
different quality. It is one of the highest and noblest 
traits of character within the reach of man. It is the 
courage which dares to do right, let the consequences 
be what they will. It may exist either with or with- 
out mere animal courage. In Daniel, and Paul, and 
Luther, we see both traits combined into a glorious 
heroism ; but many a timid and shrinking woman has 
displayed a moral heroism as noble as theirs. It is a 
trait, too, which the youngest and obscurest may cul- 
tivate and exhibit. You, my reader, have displayed 
it, or its opposite, moral cowardice, in hundreds of 
instances. When that quarrelsome and swaggering 
boy, who is always ready for a fight, shook his 
clinched fist in your face, and dared you to combat, 
what did you do? Did you prove your physical 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 215 

prowess, by returning ^blow for blow, and kick for 
kick ? Or did you exhibit a nobler and rarer cour- 
age, by refusing to fight, on the ground that your 
parents had forbidden it ? 

I was once a boy, and I know how hard it is, in 
such a case, to preserve one's moral courage. It is 
easier to yield to the impulse of temper, and to rush 
into a pitched battle, even at the risk of getting a 
good drubbing, than it is to refuse to fight, on the 
ground that it is wrong. That boy is the real hero, 
who, under such circumstances, braves the sneers 
and taunts of his thoughtless companions, and dares 
to do right, even though he be laughed at for it. 
The charge of cowardice cannot long lie against such 
a boy. Even his accusers must in their hearts respect 
the firmness of his moral principle. 

Many years ago, the foolish and wicked " code of 
honor," as dueling is politely termed, was in full 
force in England. If a gentleman had received an 
affront from another, a challenge was the inevitable 
consequence ; and if the other party declined to fight, 
it followed as a matter of course that he was a coward, 
and no gentleman, and his name was covered with 
disgrace. Of course, there were few men of standing 
and honor who declined to fight. No matter how 
cowardly they really were, they were sure to accept 
the challenge ; for though it required some courage 
to stand up and be shot at, it required a vast deal 



216 THE boy's book of 

more to refuse to comply with the bloody code. 
There were some choice spirits, however, who were 
brave enough to choose this latter alternative. 
Among them was Col. Gardiner, the pious British 
officer, who, when challenged to fight a duel, made 
this truly noble and Christian reply : 

"I fear sinning, though you know, sir, I do not 
fear fighting." 

This was true courage — this was moral heroism. 
And this, my young friends, is the courage I would 
have you imitate. When a boy dares you to strike 
him, and taunts you with cowardice, that is your chal- 
lenge to fight a duel ; and let me earnestly advise 
you, in such a case, to imitate Col. Gardiner's noble 
example, and say, 

" No, I will not fight ; I am not afraid of you, but 
I am afraid of doing wrong." 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 217 



L. 



THINK AGAIN. 



" Think again, John," said a teacher to a boy 
who had answered a question in his lesson incorrectly ; 
" you know better than that — think again." John 
did think again, and the true answer quickly came to 
his mind. 

Have all of you, my young friends, acquired a 
habit of thoughtfulness ? Or are some of you always 
falling into mistakes and difficulties, and always 
excusing yourselves by saying, "I didn't think?" 
God has blessed you with reflecting powers. Do you 
use them to the best of your ability, or do you 
neglect them, and act and speak as though the power 
of thought were not yours ? 

u Think again/'-— you will often find yourself in 
situations when this will prove excellent advice. 
Sometimes you will be puzzled by a difficulty. It 
may be a hard question in your Sabbath school les- 
son, or a knotty problem in arithmetic, or a perplex- 
ing sentence in your parsing exercise, or an intricate 
19* 



218 THE BOY'S BOOK OP 

piece of work ; but before you give it up, and go to 
others for help, " think again," and perhaps the 
difficulty will vanish. ' The pleasure you will derive 
from conquering the difficulty, without the aid of 
others, will richly repay you for your trouble — to 
say nothing of the benefit you will derive from the 
process. 

When you are tempted to speak in a hasty and 
inconsiderate manner, " think again." You may 
say, in a moment of passion, what you would give 
anything to unsay, in your cooler hours. But no 
word, however thoughtlessly spoken, can be recalled. 
As the Chinese express it, " An unlucky word 
dropped from the tongue, cannot be brought back 
by a coach and six horses." We must, then, " think 
before we speak," if we would not abuse this noble 
faculty. 

" many a shaft, at random sent, 
Finds mark the archer little meant ! 
And many a word, at random spoken, 
May soothe or wound the heart that's broken ! " 

Before you attempt to revenge an injury, " think 
again." Do not put yourself on a level with the 
beast that has no rational powers, by blindly return- 
ing blow for blow, and scratch for scratch, and bite 
for bite. Think whether the injury you received 
might not have been unintentional ; or whether the 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 219 

person who injured you is not vicious, or ignorant, or 
the victim of bad training and neglect ; or whether 
you did not provoke him to anger. Think, also, 
whether any good could result from retaliating upon 
him. In the kingdom of Oude, in India, when the 
king signs the death-warrant of a criminal, and sends 
him to the executioner, no notice is taken of it. If 
he signs another order for his death, no attention is 
paid to that, either ; and it is not until the third 
death-warrant is received, that the head of the doomed 
man is struck off. This custom was wisely adopted, 
to prevent the king from shedding "blood without due 
reflection. It is an example worthy of our imitation, 
when we are tempted to punish an offence, or revenge 
an injury. 

" Think again," before you resolve to abandon any 
good work or purpose, or to neglect any known duty. 
Consider the consequences — weigh the reason for 
and against taking such a step ; and do not plunge 
blindly into what may prove a very foolish and unfor- 
tunate blunder. Be not weary in well-doing, for in 
due time you shall reap, if you faint not. 

" Think again," when tempted to commit any sin, 
or to form any bad habit. If we would but observe 
this rule, the tempter's power over us would be great- 
ly reduced. It is because the young do not think, 
that they are so easily led astray. The hook is pre- 
sented to them well-baited, and they seize it without 



220 THE boy's book of 

stopping to reflect what the consequences may be. 
But they are compelled to think, afterwards — and 
0, what sad thoughts do often visit them, when it is 
too late to be of any avail ! 

"I did not think," — this is the scapegoat upon 
which the burden of half our faults and misfortunes 
is laid. But it is a poor excuse, and cannot shelter 
us from the consequences of our negligence. Indeed, 
I am not sure but that thoughtlessness aggravates 
the guilt we sometimes think it will justify. We 
ought to think, and therefore our very excuse needs 
to be excused. 

A few months since, as one of the steamships which 
run between this country and Europe, was on her 
way across the ocean, she fell in with the wreck of a 
ship which had been disabled in a storm. Many of 
the passengers on board the wreck had died, and all 
were in momentary expectation of death, when relief 
thus providentially appeared. After the survivors 
had all been conveyed to the steamship, twenty 
corpses were left, lying upon the deck. As the cap- 
tain of the sinking vessel was about leaving it for the 
last time, although the wreck seemed just ready to go 
down, he and an officer of the steamship who was 
with him, thought it best to take one more glance at 
the corpses, to satisfy themselves that no life re- 
mained in any of them. 

" I really believe that woman breathes !" exclaimed 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 221 

one of them, with a thrill of mingled horror and hope , 
pointing to the body of a female. On placing their 
ears to her mouth, they discovered that one whom 
they supposed to be dead was still breathing. They 
removed her on board the steamship, and a few min- 
utes after, the ship was engulfed in the waters. 
The woman who thus narrowly escaped death, was 
taken to New York, and rapidly recovered. The 
thoughtfulness of those seamen, at a time when few 
would have taken thought for any but themselves, 
saved a human life. How richly were they rewarded 
for acting upon our motto, " Think again." 



222 THE boy's book of 



LI. 

ONE STEP AT A TIME. 

My young friends, did you never feel almost dis- 
couraged, as you have turned oyer the leaves of a new 
school-book, the study of which you were about to 
commence, and run your eye over the hard questions 
and unintelligible exercises in the latter part of the 
book ? Perhaps it was an arithmetic, an algebra, or 
a grammar. The first lessons were easy enough, 
but the last seemed entirely beyond your comprehen- 
sion, and you wondered how anybody could under- 
stand them. Yet, as you proceeded, step by step, 
through the book, beginning with the first lessons, the 
difficulties that appeared so alarming gradually disap- 
peared, and you found that the last lessons were, after 
all, but little harder to understand than many of the 
earlier ones were, when you commenced. You 
easily mastered the book, by learning one lesson, or 
taking one step, at a time. 

"We are so constituted, that all the progress we 
make, in virtue as well as in knowledge, must be by 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 223 

a gradual process. Nobody plunges from a high 
moral position into gross vice at a single bound ; and 
nobody can jump from the latter to the former with 
one effort. There is a German proverb which says, 

" Let the devil have hold of a hair, and he will get 
the whole head." 

He does, generally, commence with only a hair, so 
to speak ; but having made sure of that, he soon gets 
possession of the whole head. On the other hand, 
the path of the just man ' • is as the shining light, 
that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." 
A good character is not a thing to be matured in a 
day. It is the result of growth. 

There is great encouragement for you, my young 
friends, in this law of nature. If you are sensible 
that you have fallen into any of the evil habits, or 
have neglected to cultivate any of the virtues, that I 
have held up before you in these pages, do not be 
disheartened because you cannot set the matter right 
by a single effort of the will. Many persons, when 
a fault or deficiency in their character is pointed out, 
make a few faint efforts to remedy the evil, and then 
become discouraged, and give up the struggle, because 
they cannot bring about the reform in a day. If the 
first blow does not disable the enemy, they give up 
the battle. I hope you will all try to avoid this 
great mistake. Aim as high as you please — and the 
higher the better ; but do not be discouraged if you 
fall short of the mark, in the first attempt. 



224 THE boy's book of 

A young man, who had just entered upon the ser- 
vice of Christ, had many fears that he should back- 
slide ; and so troubled was he on this account, that 
he sometimes was almost tempted to pray that he 
might die young, and thus save religion from reproach, 
and his soul from ruin. But one day, while indulg- 
ing these feelings, he says, "the impression was 
vividly made on my mind, that I must serve God by 
the day. That was more than thirty years ago," he 
adds, "and by the grace of God aiding me to put 
that rule into practice, I am yet on my way to 
heaven." 

Here is a secret worth remembering. You all 
know that it is comparatively easy to behave well for 
a single day. The worst boy can do this. But what 
you can do to-day, you can also do to-morrow, if you 
try ; and if you can keep an evil habit in subjection 
two days, what is to prevent your doing so for a 
week, or a month, unless some extraordinary tempta- 
tion assails you? But you need think nothing of 
weeks or months — that might discourage you. Think 
only of the present time, and determine to do your 
duty by the day, and your effort will not be in vain. 

Every step taken in the right path makes the suc- 
ceeding step easier, inasmuch as it strengthens your 
determination and self-confidence, and helps form the 
habit of doing right. On the other hand, every step 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 225 

of the boy who has entered upon a downward career, 
weakens his power of resisting temptations, and binds 
his evil habits upon him with a firmer grasp. See, 
then, that each step is right, and you cannot fail to 
reach your journey's end at last. 



20 



226 THE boy's book of 



LII. 

ONE THING MORE, 

The range of topics which I marked out for this 
volume, is exhausted, and the time has come for me 
to thank you, my young friends, for your attention to 
my counsels, and to hid you all a kind good-bye, for 
the present. The subjects to which I have called your 
attention, relate chiefly to the morals and manners of 
boyhood. I have pointed out dangers to be shunned ; 
bad habits to be avoided ; virtues to be cultivated ; 
and have tried to make you sensible of the golden 
opportunities which youth affords for laying the foun- 
dation of a pure and noble character. I hope some 
of you have been benefited by these hints, and will 
try to remember them, as you grow up. 

But I cannot close without reminding you that 
there is something necessary to form a complete 
character, beyond what I have attempted to describe. 
You may attain to all these virtues, and shun all 
these vices, and yet, after all, be no better than the 
amiable young man in the Bible, to whom the Saviour 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 227 

said, "One think thou lackest." Alas, that "one 
thing " is the most important of all, and yet how 
many are satisfied to live without it ! 

What should you think of a youth who was careful 
to discharge all the duties of life, with a single 
exception ; who was exemplary in his conduct, affec- 
tionate in his disposition, and whose only fault was, 
that he neither loved nor tried to please his father, — a 
father who had made great sacrifices for him, and who 
loved him with all the strength of parental affection ? 
You would consider him a very strange boy, and in 
spite of all his good traits, his one fault would lo er 
him greatly in your esteem. And yet how many 
boys, who in other respects are promising and exem- 
plary, treat, not their earthly parents, but their heav- 
enly Father, precisely in this way. They do their 
duty to everybody else, and utterly neglect Him to 
whom they are indebted for every blessing they have 
ever enjoyed. 

Remember, my young friends, that however spot- 
less your character may be in other respects, without 
love to God, you cannot live as you should live, nor 
can you meet death with peace. The most scrupulous 
attendance to the lesser duties of life, cannot excuse 
you from those weightier responsibilities, upon which 
your eternal destiny depends. On the contrary, your 
virtues will only aggravate your condemnation, if you 
remain at enmity with your Maker. 



228 THE boy's book op 

I must also add, that -without this " one thing 
more," you cannot be really happy; for religion is 
true happiness. I do not mean to say that the Chris- 
tian is never unhappy. He has his sorrows, and 
trials, and disappointments, like other men ; but for 
all that, he enjoys more true happiness than the 
worldly experience, under the same outward circum- 
stances. Religion's ways " are ways of pleasantness, 
and all her paths are peace." 

A poor man, who was obliged to work very hard 
to support his family, one day found a bag containing 
a large amount of gold. It was in an unfrequented 
road, and nobody saw him pick up the treasure, 
neither could he imagine to whom it belonged. At 
first he did not know what to do with it, but at length 
he concluded that he would carry it home, and keep 
his good luck a secret. He did so, and no one 
appearing to claim the gold, he soon began to spend 
it as his necessity required. He was very sly, however, 
in all his movements, for he did not feel quite at ease 
in regard to the money, not knowing but that he 
might yet be called to account for it. 

There was another poor man in the same town, 
who came into possession of a similar bag of gold, at 
about the same time. But he did not pick up his 
treasure in the highway ; on the contrary, it was left 
at his door, with a letter, signed by a rich and benev- 
olent friend, who lived in the neighborhood. In this 
letter, the writer said, 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 229 

" I have known yon long, and have witnessed the 
faithfulness with which you have labored to support 
yourself and children. I have taken a deep interest 
in your struggles, and in the welfare of your family ; 
and now, as a slight token of my friendship, I want 
you to accept of this gold, and use it in such a way 
as will promote the comfort of yourself and house- 
hold." 

Which of these two poor men, think you, derived 
the greatest enjoyment from his gold? " The last," 
you will answer at once. But do you know who 
these two poor men are ? The first is the worldly 
man, who is prospered " in his basket and his store," 
and becomes rich, but does not know that God bestows 
it all. He takes all the credit to himself, and perhaps 
he attributes his wealth to good luck. The other man 
is the representative of the Christian in prosperity, 
who does not pick up his good things at hap-hazard, 
but receives them direct from his Father in heaven. 
How does it increase their value, to know that 
they are all tokens of the mercy and loving-kindness 
of the bountiful Giver ! Each dollar is the more 
precious, because stamped with the love of God. 
Each enjoyment is the more delicious, because of the 
hand that bestows it. The delightful emotion of 
gratitude, of which the worldly man knows nothing, 
adds immeasurably to the happiness of the Christian; 
and thus, with precisely the same blessings as the 



230 THE boy's book of 

other, he is, other things being equal, far the happier 
man. " The blessing of the Lord, it inaketh rich, 
and He addeth no sorrow with it." 

In trial, and suffering, and destitution, the differ- 
ence between the Christian and the worldly-minded 
is still more remarkable. " I will be with him in 
trouble," is the gracious promise of God to the 
believer ; and when every other source of happiness 
is dried up, this fountain of living joy is opened in 
the Christian's heart. 

And yet I have known young people, who enter- 
tained the notion that religion is a gloomy thing ! 
Religion gloomy ! No, it is the brightest and loveliest 
thing in this fallen world. When our hearts are 
properly under its influence, it adds a new charm to 
every blessing, it extracts the sting from every sorrow. 
No, my young friends, there is nothing gloomy but 
sin and its consequences. 

An ancient writer has recorded, that in the early 
worship of Jupiter, the officiating priest was always 
a boy, whose office terminated whfcn his beard began 
to grow. Would that all our boys were priests, not 
of Jupiter, but of that Being of whom the Roman 
divinity was but a faint shadow and a base counterfeit. 
This, my youthful readers, is the service to which God 
himself has called you. You are old enough to enter 
upon it, and by his Word, and the mouth of his 
appointed messengers, he is daily and weekly calling 



MORALS AND MANNERS. 231 

I 

you to the work, as he called the chilc^Samuel in the 

silent night watches. Will yon not promptly answer, 
in the words of that dear boy, 

" Speak, for thy servant heareth." 

How beautiful is the sight of a youth offering his 
heart to God before the world has blunted its sensi- 
bilities, or the rank weeds of sin have overrun it, and 
well nigh smothered every good thing. If one offer- 
ing from weak and sinful hands can be more accept- 
able to God than another, surely it must be that of 
the young heart, with the dew of its youth still fresh 
and pure upon it. Will you not resolve at once to 
bring this tribute to your heavenly Father, while it is 
yet in your power to do so ? May each of you decide 
wisely in this matter, and so realize the fulfilment of 
the promise, " Those that seek me early shall find 
me." 



^ 



